The Healer
by XxJaggedXHeartzxX
Summary: A hard-core, straight with the law, cop gets mixed in with a romance with a teenage vampire he tried to save. Heartache and mischief ensue. LexaeusXZexion , AxelXRoxas, LuxordXXaldin, and others. I would list more but that would spoil the story. All Characters will be involved eventually. Sequel planned.
1. False Pretenses

Shouting, slammed doors, maybe a few tears. It all seemed to run together the last couple of months. Ienzo sat in his bed, the lights turned off, letting moonlight pass through the wide open curtains and illuminate a small square of his pale carpet. He stared at the door he had closed violently and bit his lip. Some random argument about his grades swiftly turned into a comparing of one son to the other. 'Why can't you be more like your brother? Why don't you have any friends? I'm sure you're brother could spare you two of the eighty he speaks with almost daily.' The young boy was tired of the constant analyzing and every time something like that would happen he would stuff one more item into his spare book bag he left for running away from his family. A flash of black skittered across the moonlit floor and jumped onto the bed, almost landing perfectly on Ienzo's lap. He stroked the cat lovingly and wiped his eyes with his free hand. His only friend purred at the touch and craned his neck for more. "It's not my fault people don't want to be friends with me..." He said quietly and sniffed. The cat opened an eye as he listened to his master. Ienzo glanced to the window when his room had darkened for a second but nothing obstructed the moon's glow. "I really am going to do it, Spook..." The boy whispered.

"Have you made up your mind then Ienzo?" a voice asked as a pink haired man stepped out of the shadows. "More problems with your parents, love?"

Ienzo gasped, as he always did whenever Marluxia came from practically no where. "Y-yeah...I don't want to be here anymore." He answered slowly.

Marluxia walked over to the boy's bed and sat down next to him with his arms open. "Come here, love."

Ienzo scooted closer to the man he had come to know over the past months. He leaned into his embrace and closed his eyes. "I just hate doing this every day..."

"I can give you a new life Ienzo. I can take you away from all of this." he whispered and wrapped his arms around the teen.

Ienzo bit his lip. "I don't want to be here anymore, I want to leave with you this time." He nodded.

Marluxia smirked and stood up, pulling Ienzo with him, his arms still around the boy. "Very well then. Do you have anything packed, that you want to take?"

The teen nodded quickly. "Yeah I've been preparing a backpack...actually." He said sheepishly. and looked in the direction where his pack hung behind the door.

Marluxia followed the boy's line of sight and smiled. "Shall we be on our way then?"

"I-I want to bring Spook too...if that's alright." He looked back in Marluxia's eyes and Spook rubbed his face against the mysterious man's leg.

He glance down at the cat then back up into the boy's eyes. "I would never take you away from you're only friend."

"Only?" Ienzo cocked his head to the side with a coy smile.

"Well isn't that what you've told me? That this cat is your closest and only friend?" he smirked. "Or where you referring to me?"

"Yeah..." He said quietly. "He's my only friend aside from you… I'll give you that." Ienzo laughed quietly.

"Is that all that you think of me as?" Marluxia let go of the boy to walk over to the door and grab the back pack.

"Well..." He bent down to pick up the black cat and pet him. "No..." He tried to hide the smile that was growing on his face. "I see you more than... just a friend."

The older man walked back over to the teen and set the bag on Ienzo's bed the tilted his head up. "Is that so?"

Ienzo smiled wider and he nodded before Spook jumped from his arms to escape the sudden closeness. Marluxia smirked and he leaned down to capture the boy's lips in a kiss. Ienzo raised his hands up to the man's neck and kissed him back, greedily. Marluxia wrapped his arms around Ienzo and pulled him closer, before letting his tongue out to lick at the boy's lips. The teen parted his lips to allow Marluxia entry and he snaked his arms around his neck slowly.

Marluxia pulled out of the kiss sensing a presence walking up the stairs. "More later, right now we need to get out of here." he whispered.

Ienzo whined slightly and suddenly losing the contact and nodded. "Ok, let's go." He said quietly, bending down once again to scoop up the feline.

The man grabbed the bag off the bed and put an arm around the boys waist as he led him to the window. He pushed it open and just as they were about to disappear out of the square hole in the wall the door to Ienzo's bedroom opened.

A boy just a bit older than Ienzo walked through the door, staring at the ground. "Listen, ah...Ienzo...I...I didn't mean… what I said. Downstairs." Ienzo frowned at the transparent apology and urged Marluxia to go.

Marluxia nodded and pushed off the window sill and landed gracefully on his feet outside of the house.

"Ienzo?" His brother looked up and switched on the light to see his brother missing and the window, wide open. "Ienzo??" He ran to the window and his mouth dropped. "Mom!!!"

Ienzo closed his eyes and pressed himself closer to his love.

"Hold on tight now. It seems your brother has seen us." he said softly and pulled the boy up closer to him and started to run in the direction of where his car was parked down the street.

"Great..." Ienzo held tighter to his pet and felt his heart sink down. "Why can't they just leave me alone?"

"They're your family they're not suppose to leave you alone. It's alright Ienzo, I'll get you somewhere safe."

"Well...they should..." The teen muttered and held Spook closer.

Marluxia stopped at the black convertible and set the boy down and opened the passenger side door. Ienzo begged for another kiss before landing himself in the car seat while Spook escaped somewhere behind him. Marluxia leaned down and kissed him softly before shutting the door and going over to the drivers side.

"I can't believe this is actually happening..." He whispered quietly to himself.

Marluxia sat down in the drivers seat and glanced at the boy with a frown. "Are you having second thoughts?"

Ienzo shook his head quickly. "No! I want to do this--It's just...I never thought I'd have the nerve to do it."

"You're not doing it alone though... You have me." he whispered and leaned over and pulled Ienzo into a kiss.

The boy smiled into the kiss and pulled away, although he didn't want to. "We should get away from here..."

"We should." he pulled away with a smirk and caressed the boy's cheek. "I'll make you mine tonight."

Ienzo bit back a smile and blushed a maddening shade of red. "I love you, Marluxia..."

Marluxia hid his smirk with a sad smile. "There's something that you need to know about me Ienzo."

The blue-eyed boy looked worried and turned his head to the side. "What, what is it?"

"Ienzo..." he took Ienzo's face in his hands. "Please don't be scared... I... I'm a vampire."

The look on Ienzo's face changed slowly to an incredulous look. "Yeah right...stop kidding around, vampires are just storybook characters..."

"Then you're living in a fictional world." he whispered and let go of the boy.

Ienzo leaned back into his seat and frowned in thought. "But...you aren't like the vampires I've read about..."

"No. I'm not. Real vampires are very different from the ones humans write about." he said softly and started the car.

Ienzo stayed quiet most of the car ride, stuck in deep thought. He tried to come up with something to say but all the questions that filled his mind sounded too lame to ask.

"Ienzo... You can ask me whatever you want." he said as he sped down the street.

"S-so...you're not going to kill me...right?" His mouth felt dry when he asked the question.

Marluxia glanced at the boy and laughed. "Of course not you silly boy. I want you to become like me." he said softly.

"Be-become like you?" Ienzo turned in his seat and looked at Marluxia with wide eyes.

"Yes." he glanced at the boy. "Is it such a surprised that I want you by my side for all eternity?"

"I-I guess not..." He paused. "How...old are you?" Ienzo asked slowly.

Marluxia chuckled. "I'm 2709 years old, love."

The boy couldn't help but let his jaw drop. "...Forgive me but...th-that's a long time..."

"Indeed, even longer since I didn't have you." he said softly and glanced again at the boy.

"I can't believe you haven't found someone else in all that time..." He whispered in wonder.

"There have been others, a long time ago. I've been waiting a long time to find you Ienzo." he whispered as he pulled up to a house.

"Well, what happened to them?" Ienzo scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion.

"They didn't want to be changed." he turned off the car and opened his door.

"Oh..." Ienzo bit his lip and looked to his hands, before opening his own door. "So...other than the obvious ones...what's real and what isn't from the books?"

"Well... I'm not too fond of garlic, but it won't kill me or ward me off. And a stake through the heart would kill anything." He climbed out of the car bringing Ienzo's backpack with him, and met Ienzo on his side of the car. "Let's talk later." he said and held out his hand for the boy to take.

Ienzo nodded and took Marluxia's hand, Spook skittered out of the convertible as soon as he could.

Marluxia smiled as the cat ran past them and up to the new house. Marluxia pulled the boy closer and kissed his cheek.

"So...your place looks nice." He chuckled. "I guess...it's my place too now?"

Marluxia nodded and squeezed Ienzo's hand. "Indeed. Welcome home, love."

A sudden thought came to the boy's mind and he looked up at his love with a curious look. "I wanna feel 'em."

The man looked down at the boy with a raised eyebrow, as he led him to the front door and opened it. "Feel what love?"

"Your fangs." Ienzo answered simply answered.

Marluxia chuckled as he shut the door behind them and smiled extending his fangs. "There."

The boy tentatively reached up to trace his finger along the sharp fangs. "Don't bite me." he teased.

Marluxia frowned and pulled away and grabbed the boy's wrist. "Don't say that, or I can't change you."

"Huh?" Ienzo looked up at Marluxia with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You have to ask me to change you." he said. "That's the only way I can do it."

"Well that seems inconvenient..." Ienzo frowned. "I have to...ask you?" He bit his lip.

"Yes, or I can't change you." he let go of the boy and took a step back.

"I see..." He said quietly. "Did...did I already mess it up then?" Ienzo looked sad.

"No." Marluxia cupped Ienzo's face in his hands after dropping the backpack. "You can still be changed." he whispered against Ienzo's lips.

The teen took the chance to kiss Marluxia again and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. Everything told him to stop and just think for a second but he was blinded by the promise of an eternity of love. Marluxia put his arms around the thin waist and effortlessly lifted the boy off the ground and carried him up the stairs to a bedroom.

Ienzo wrapped his legs around the vampire and pulled away to breathe. "I love you so much," he whispered.

"I love you too." he whispered and lowered them onto a bed. "You're so beautiful Ienzo." he said and brushed some hair out of his eyes.

Ienzo looked away, shy. "Not as beautiful as you." The teen said quietly.

"Now don't be crazy." he whispered back and kissed the side of Ienzo's neck. "You're a gorgeous boy..."

"Ah!" He felt Marluxia brush his fangs against his neck and he bit his lip. "I-I guess I'm crazy then..."

Marluxia pulled back with a smile. "You have to ask me, love." he said and lifted Ienzo's wrist to his mouth and grazed the skin with his fangs.

The boy looked up at the vampire. "Will you change me, then, Marluxia?" He asked quietly.

Marluxia smirked down at the boy. "Of course." he whispered and bit into the boy's wrist.

Ienzo gasped and closed his eyes, arching his back in pain. He twisted slightly away from the man's touch.

Marluxia stared down at the boy and lovingly and stroked his face with the back of his hand.

The boy knew he should have expected the pain but he never imagined it to feel quite like this. The slow yet steady suck of his life felt like utter torture to him.

'Shh... Calm down, love.' Marluxia said the words softly in Ienzo's mind.

Ienzo cracked an eye open to look at the vampire and he felt a tear slide down the side of his cheek. "Marluxia..." He whimpered quietly.

Marluxia pulled away from the limp wrist to lick away the tear. "Hush my dear. It'll be over soon." He said as a lifted his own wrist to his mouth and bit down.

The teen could hardly move, barely breathe. His chest felt like it was being stabbed repeatedly but he figured it was just his heart, attempting to beat. Ienzo looked at Marluxia with a hint of fear.

He took the bleeding wrist away from his mouth and smiled at the boy. "There's nothing for you to fear, love." he said softly and lowered the wounded arm the Ienzo's mouth.

When Ienzo tasted the blood he closed his eyes, attempting to savor the peculiar taste of the man he loved. Anything to drive his mind from the pain.

Marluxia smiled and moved the boy around so that his head was resting in his lap. "There, that's better." he ran his finger through the dark hair and smiled.

Ienzo wasn't feeling much better even with more of Marluxia's blood in his system. He did however have the urge to suck more blood from the vampire's wrist.

Marluxia smirked down at the boy and chuckled. "That's right, take as much as you need."

He closed his eyes and sucked more greedily from the wound, his tongue licking for even more.

"You should have your fangs by now Ienzo, use them." he urged.

Ienzo bit hard into the wrist and understood how handy they were, allowing the blood to flow even more freely.

"There, now isn't that better?" he asked softly and continued to pet the boy's hair.

Ienzo nodded and gripped his wrist and sucked deeper, wondering how much he actually could take--he felt like he could do this forever without tiring.

"Not too much more, love." he whispered then looked up and tensed when he heard sirens in the distance.

Ienzo pulled away and looked to his love, a bit of blood dribbling from his mouth. "Marluxia..." He whispered, with worry in his eyes.

Marluxia set the boy down on the bed and smirked. "Sorry love, but I have to go." he said and brushed some hair out of Ienzo's face.

"G-go? Go where? Why can't I come?" He felt sluggish in his words.

"You're too weak to go anywhere." he said and stood up. "But I'll come find you again to see if you've become what I want you to be. It's nothing personal I just can't cart you out of here right now. No time."

"Wh-what?" Ienzo shook his head. "No...that's...that's not how you said it would be..." He felt like he could barely talk.

"Relax I'll come back for you, if you become what you need to be." he said and smirked. "Now be a good boy and go through your change."

'If I become what I need to be...?' Ienzo thought to himself and his eyes slowly closed. He didn't understand what was going on, why was Marluxia leaving him behind?

Marluxia smirked then rushed out of the room and out of the house. Thinking that he was getting another free ride, Spook darted after the vampire and hopped into the car before the man could close the door. Marluxia turned the car on then took off down the street, just as a cop car sped up to the house and a tall man stepped out of the passenger side.

Ienzo didn't understand and he pulled himself close, feeling the chill of death sweep over him. He didn't get it, Marluxia didn't make any sense.

"Alright the woman said that the car we're looking for was parked here. Let's go look inside Xehanort." the man said.

Xehanort got out of the car and looked at the house. "I hate kidnappings..." He muttered as he got out of the car.

Aeleus sighed and stepped up to the front door, and pushed the slightly ajar door open.

Xehanort stepped in, his gun out. "Radiant Garden PD." He called to the house and slowly went through the hall leaving the upstairs to be checked by his partner.

Aeleus rushed up the stairs and heard gasping coming from a room. He stepped into the room and gasped dropping his gun and ran to the boy on the bed.

Ienzo looked at the man above him and his eyes widened. He was found and would be taken away...back to his horrible family. "No..." He whimpered.

Aeleus pulled the boy up into his arms carefully. "It's alright, I'm here to help. Can you tell me what happened to you?" he asked and brushed some of Ienzo's hair to the side.

Ienzo felt a tear roll down his cheek and he shook his head, repeating his whine. He didn't want any help, he wanted Marluxia.

Aeleus sighed and stood up holding the boy close. "Xehanort!" he called out and stopped to pick up his gun, then continued to walked down the stairs.

The tan policeman bit his lip when he saw the boy in Aeleus' arms. "Did he say anything? Did you find the kidnapper?" He started a list of questions.

"No and no." he said and quickly walked out the front door. "We need to get him to the hospital."

Xehanort opened the backdoor to the cruiser and then moved into the drivers seat. "How bad does it look, Aeleus?"

Ienzo pushed weakly at the man holding him. "No...no, noo.." He whined more and twisted slightly but the effort seemed to take too much energy.

"Hey calm down, we're going to help you." He said and climbed into the back seat with the boy. "Everything is going to be ok."

Ienzo closed his eyes and whispered his sire's name. Xehanort sped down the road towards the hospital and flicked his eyes back to the rearview. "What's he saying, Ael, I don't like this..."

"I don't know... a name maybe?" he looked down at the boy. "Ienzo, can you tell me what's you're saying?"

Ienzo stopped talking and his breathing went shallow. Xehanort went through the Emergency Entrance to the hospital and shook his head. "I hate kidnappings..." He said again.

"Ienzo? Ienzo don't go to sleep, come on you need to talk to me." he said softly.

"Take me...ba--" He gasped. "Take me back, please!" He shouted and stared at Aeleus with dark eyes.

The cop stared down at the boy. "Excuse me, what? You want to go back?"

Ienzo nodded slightly and closed his eyes again, wanting badly to sleep. Xehanort got out of the car and opened the back door again.

Aeleus climbed out of the car. "I'm sorry I can't do that. You need medical attention." he said and held the boy close.

Ienzo let himself go limp he was tired of holding on. Xehanort went to the desk and told of the situation.

"Ienzo?" he shook the boy gently. "Ienzo? Wake up."

The teen wouldn't respond and let his hand drop to the side, he was giving up.

"Ienzo!" he shouted then looked up and rushed the boy into the hospital. "He needs help now!" he yelled and held to teen tightly.

A nurse rushed to the cop and a gurney wasn't far behind. Xehanort ran a hand through his hair, not happy with what was going on. Ienzo stopped trying to tell his body what to do and let the change happen. Marluxia said he would come back for him.

Aeleus stared down at the boy and allowed a male nurse to pry the boy out of his arms. "I don't want to leave him..." he whispered.

"Sir, you have to let us take care of him." The other nurse raised her hands. Ienzo kept his eyes to Aeleus and tears streamed down his face.

"No..." he shook his head and kept his eyes on Ienzo. "No I have to stay with him." he said and reached for the boy's hands. "I won't leave you Ienzo."

"Aeleus, just let them do their job. We got him here..." Ienzo fell limp in his arms and his eyes glazed over. He finally let death overtake him.

"No! Ienzo!" he shouted and grabbed the boy's hand. "Ienzo..." he whispered. "You can't die..."

Xehanort bit his lip and ran a hand through his hair again. "...I hate this..." He watched his partner hold tightly to the boy's body.

"Sir, please we might be able to help him if you just let us take him!" The nurse pleaded with the cop.

Aeleus closed his eyes and let the boy's hand drop. "You can't let him die." he whispered and watched them push his first victim through double doors.

"Ael...We need to go back to the house where we found him...See if we can find out what happened..." Xehanort said quietly.

"I can't leave... Not until I know what's going to happen to him." he said softly.

"Aeleus, let's go, we've done our job here. We need to go back to the house." The silver-haired man repeated. "Don't you want to know who did this to him?"

"Of course I do and when I find out I'm going to kill that bastard who did this."

"Then help me figure it out. There's nothing we can do here." Xehanort frowned and put a hand on his friends shoulder.

Aeleus sighed then turned and followed Xehanort out of the ER.

* * *

The doctor walked out of the Er and shook his head looking for Ienzo's family. A nurse approached him and he nodded after she pointed out that the family had all come.

Aeleus stood of in a corner of the ER and kept an eye on the family. He had finished his investigation at the house and rushed back to the hospital as fast as he could.

"I-Is he ok?" Ienzo's mother asked but the look on the Doctor's face told her all she needed to know. She turned to weep into her husbands chest. "I'm sorry but… there just wasn't enough time..." The doctor spoke quietly.

Aeleus closed his eyes with a soft curse and turned away from the mourning family. His first time out in the field and he let the boy die.

The nurse that forced him to hand the boy over walked over to the large man and bit her lip. "You ok?"

He turned to the woman with a sad smile. "It's my fault. It's my fault that boy is dead. I couldn't get him the help he needed in time, and I didn't let the doctors take him when they needed to." he said softly and turned to leave the building.

"No...don't blame yourself for hat...There was nothing... nothing we could do." She looked over to him. "It was weird..." She pushed a lock of red hair behind her ear.

"What was it? The cause of death I mean?" he asked without looking at the woman.

"There was no blood in his system." She said quietly and shook her head. "I...I found a bite on his wrist. I-it just seemed so..."

"How is that possible?" he turned and looked at the woman. "How could he have no blood?"

The nurse shrugged. "I don't know. Like I said...It was weird… unreal."

Aeleus pulled a small card from his breast pocket and handed it to the woman. "If you figure anything out of find anything else please call me." he said and turned to walk out of the hospital.

"Sure..." The girl looked at the card and bit her lip, knowing she'd probably get in trouble for telling him that much. The doctor told everyone in the room to keep quiet about what really happened to Ienzo.

"No blood... how can that be?" Aeleus rubbed his head in thought as he climbed into his car and drove away from the hospital and mourning family.


	2. Caretaker

Chapter 2- Caretaker

The first thing Ienzo felt was this pit of an empty feeling in his stomach. Then he felt cold, incredibly cold. He opened his eyes to total darkness and felt cramped. It wasn't until then he found that his clothes were completely missing. He turned around so he laid on his stomach and felt around for a way out of the box he was in. When he realized he couldn't get out he screamed and beat on the edges of the wall. Ienzo pushed the wall closest to his head and felt it give way with a loud creak. He pulled himself out of the hole in the wall. He looked at his surroundings and shook his head slowly realizing where he was. "No, no, no! I'm supposed… I have to find Marluxia.." He whispered an looked around for his clothes. The teen grabbed his folded clothing and tugged it all on and looked for a way out. When he saw the door he pushed through it in a rush and put his hand over his mouth. It ached badly and the pit in his stomach agreed.

In the alley that Ienzo exited into there was a red haired man pinning a young man to the wall and was nibbling on his neck. The older man looked up when the door slammed open. "What the...?"

Ienzo looked at the man and felt the urge to bite him, just to get the horrible feeling out of his stomach. He grabbed the tall man's arm and bit into it.

The man turned quickly with a curse and threw the new vampire off of him. "Hey, hey, hey! None of that!" he shouted. The boy that the red head had pinned to the wall snapped out of the trance he was in and fled the scene of the alley quickly, out of fear. "Damn it!" the man muttered as he watched the boy run away, then looked back to Ienzo. "You just cost me my dinner kid."

Ienzo pushed hair out of his face and looked back up at the other vampire with confusion. The blood he managed to get didn't do anything to the feeling in his stomach. "Di...dinner?"

The red head ignored him and rubbed his bit arm until it healed. "Fucking kid." he glanced at the boy. "Where the hell did you come from anyway?"

"I...I don't know I...I think..." He pointed to the door he busted through and bit his lip. "I think...a morgue..." He said quietly.

"A morgue? What the hell were you doing in a morgue?" he eyed the newly changed vampire and crossed his arms. "Who changed you?" he asked slowly.

"Marluxia! Please, tell me, where can I find him?" Ienzo grabbed Axel again.

Axel stared down at the boy. "Marluxia? A guy with pink hair?" he asked and raised an eyebrow.

Ienzo nodded and bit his lip. "Yes that's him, please, where is he?"

Axel let out a low growl. "Damn that man, he's done it again." he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Let me tell you something kid. Marluxia has sired a shit ton of vampires, and has left every single one of them out on the streets. He gives them promises of love and shit like that, then changes them and dumps 'em once he's done. No one knows why he does it. You'll never see that vampire again, don't bother looking for him cause he's not looking for you."

"No...No, Marluxia said...we.." He trailed off and bit his lip. "Why...? Why would you say that? He loves me!" Ienzo shook his head. "I don't believe you..."He whispered.

The older vampire sighed and looked down at the boy sadly. "Sorry kid, Marluxia doesn't love you. He doesn't love anybody."

"What...what am I supposed to do now…?" Ienzo pulled away and crumpled to the ground covering his head with his hands.

The red head lowered himself to his knees and put an arm around the boy's shoulders. "You come with me." he said softly. "Come on I need to get some blood into you."

"How, how come your blood..." He looked up. "I… I want to go home..." He looked up at the man. "Wh-what's your name?"

"The name's Axel, got it memorized?" he smiled and helped the boy up off the ground. "Sorry to say that you can't go home kid. If you were in the morgue, obviously your family believes that you're dead."

"Dead..." He stared at the ground for a while. "How come...when I tasted your blood...It didn't fix that feeling?"

Axel looked down at the boy and smiled. "Because I'm not human, and I'm also not your mate. Those are the only two kinds of blood that will sate your hunger."

"I'm hungry." The statement sounded more like a question than a statement. "Dinner-I cost you your dinner..." He rose a hand to his head and felt a bit woozy.

"Yeah, I was going to feed from the human. Now I have to go find you one." he said and held the boy up. "I'm going to take you to my place first, so that you'll be somewhere safe."

"Safe? Safe from what? Vampires are the largest predator out there..." Ienzo mumbled.

"Maybe to humans but for us.." he chuckled. "There are people called vampire hunters who live to kill our kind. And a new fledgling like you is easy prey for them."

Ienzo nodded in slight understanding, but his head still felt fuzzy. "So how old are you?

Axel smiled and tightened his arm around Ienzo's shoulders. "2005." he said and helped the boy out of the alley. "What's your name kid?"

"Ienzo..." He whispered and rose a hand to feel his own pair of fangs.

"No, no not you're human name your vampire name." he said and looked sown at the boy and sighed at his confused look. "When you were going through your change, you had a dream, of a woman. She gave you a new name and a power. What was the name?"

The fledgling bit his lip as he tried to remember the woman. "Ah, uh...I think I think it was Zexion..."

Axel smiled. "That's a nice name." he whispered and helped Zexion down the street. "Do you remember what power she gave you?"

Zexion thought again for a moment and shook his head. "I...didn't understand what she meant...something about nightmares..."

"Nightmares... hmm." he scratched the back of his head. "Well we can figure that out later." he said.

"What about you?" Zexion curled a hand around his stomach and closed his eyes, the hunger felt painful.

Axel glanced down at the boy. "I'll tell you later. Right now I need to get you into a bed and get you some blood." he said and lifted the boy into his arms bridal style.

Zexion would have blushed if he had enough blood in him to do it. "How are you going to get me blood?" He whispered.

"I'm going to get you a human to feed from." he whispered and carried the boy around a corner and up to an apartment building.

The teen nodded slowly, understanding. "I'm sorry for scaring...him off." Zexion bit his lip and looked up at the other vampire.

Axel shrugged. "These things happen. You're a newborn, I don't blame you."

"So...you just take anyone when you're hungry?" He gripped his stomach as another pang of hunger came over.

Axel entered the building and shifted Zexion higher in his arms. "Well usually I try to take people that others won't miss. People who want to die, criminals. People like that." he said and started up the stairs to the second floor.

"Oh...so what was that guy you were with?" Zexion closed his eyes.

"Runaway." he said and carefully held Zexion with one hand while he opened the door to his apartment. "Probably back home with his mother by now."

Zexion kept quiet and turned his head to Axel's chest. "You smell good." He whispered.

Axel smiled and carried the boy into a bedroom. "Well thank you." He pulled the blanket back on the bed and laid Zexion down.

"How...how long are you gonna be gone?" He asked weakly. "My stomach hurts.."

Axel smiled and kneeled down on the ground so that he was level with Zexion's stomach. "Not too long... But I'll help you with the pain." he lifted the boy's shirt and ran a hand over the smooth skin. He leaned over so his lips were touching Zexion's stomach and whispered a few words.

"Mm. What...what are you doing?" Zexion bit his lip and looked at Axel's spiky hair.

"Shh..." Axel said a few more words then pulled away. "That should help a little. I'm no healer but I can help with the pain."

"Th-thanks..." Zexion felt like blushing again and simply looked away embarrassed.

Axel smiled and ruffled the boy's hair, then pulled the blanket up over the boy. "Try to rest a little."

Zexion closed his eyes and barely heard Axel leave the room. He tried thinking about all what happened. Marluxia lying to him and leaving him to be taken away. It made him angry but thoughts of anyway of harming him simply would not come to mind and that made him even more angry as he stewed over the whole ordeal.

Axel smiled at the new vampire then shut the door and walked out of his apartment while pulling a cigarette box from his back pocket. "Don't worry Zexion, you'll be well fed soon."~!#$%^&*()_++_)(*&^%$#!~~

Zexion twisted in the bed feeling worse than before. Whatever Axel had done, had gone away and now his hunger was starting to drive him a little crazy, thoughts of blood plagued his mind.

The door to the bedroom opened and Axel came in pulling a teenage boy with him. "I'm home." he said with a laugh. "Oh you're awake." he said noticing that Zexion was turning in the bed. "Sorry I took so long, the drunks were few and far between tonight."

Zexion sat up in the bed and stared at the boy with dark red eyes. "I just do it like the movies...right?" He asked quietly.

Axel chuckled and dragged the struggling boy over to Zexion. He threw the human onto the bed and grabbed his hair to pull his head back and expose the pale neck. "This vein right here. The jugular." he said as he pointed to a pale blue vein.

The fledgling took no time in being awkward about it and bit into the boy's neck. He moaned happily when blood started to gush into his mouth. Axel smiled and held the human down as he was drained and reached up to brush some of Zexion's hair over his ear. Zexion ignored the touch and continued to suck more blood and pulled himself closer to the poor drunken boy.

Axel smiled and pulled the dead boy from Zexion's grasp. "Come now Zexion, let him go."

Zexion stared at the boy he had killed and licked his lips, running his tongue along his fangs. ""N-now what?" He asked quietly.

"See now this is where you got lucky." he said and stood up and pulled a folded up blue tarp from under his bed.

The young vampire looked at Axel oddly. "Lucky? What do you mean?"

Axel unfolded the tarp and moved the dead boy onto it. "My power is fire. And because of it all of my victims just end up on the missing persons list or in a cold case file."

"What-are you going to just...burn it, then?" He rose a hand to his mouth feeling somewhat sick at the notion.

"More like just incinerate it and turn it to ash." he said and kneeled down and placed his hands on the corpse.

"Oh..." Zexion looked away and pushed his hair back behind his ear but it simply fell back into his face.

"Oh I forgot to tell you. Your appearance is going to be changing a little bit in a day or two." he said then his hands burst into flames and there was a bright light, and when it faded all that was left of the body was a pile of ash.

"Change?" He looked back at the pile and looked surprised. "That's all?" He pointed to the tarp.

"That's all." he said with a smile as he wrapped the ashes up and put them out in the hall.

"So...If I get hungry and...you're not around...what am I supposed to do?" He asked quietly and bit his lip.

Axel closed the door and went back to the bed and sat down on the edge. "Worry about that later. I'll teach you to hunt tomorrow."

"So..." He looked to Axel and folded his hands in his lap. A question was bouncing around his head in the background and now that his hunger was taken care of it was the only thing he thought about now. "Do you...yknow...have a mate?"

Axel chuckled and stood up then walked over to a dresser while pulling off his shirt. "No, not me. At least not yet."

"So how does it all work...? Blood tastes different, right?" He tried to remember the taste of Axel's blood.

"Yes. When you find your mate..." he paused and looked over his shoulder at the boy. "It'll be the most amazing thing you could ever taste." he said and tossed his shirt aside before starting to remove his pants.

"O-oh..." Zexion turned away and tried to ignore the other undressing in front of him. He could hardly remember the way the other vampire tasted.

Axel pulled a pair of pajama pants from a drawer and pulled them on. "Anyway how are you feeling?"

"Better... now that I'm... full." He bit his lip and turned around. "You... said something about changing?"

"Yeah your hair will change color. Your eyes too." he said and walked over to the bed. "Do you want something to wear to bed?"

Zexion looked up from the ground and quickly looked away when he made eye-contact with Axel. "U-uhm...I was, I'm... I'm not very tired right now..."

Axel smirked and sat down next to Zexion and put an arm over the boy's waist and leaned over him. "Your hormones are going crazy right now, right?" he said and leaned down to kiss Zexion's neck.

Zexion bit his lip and looked away with wide eyes. He wasn't used to being approached so suddenly, like he was now. "I-Is that what I'm feeling...?" He said nervously.

Axel's smirk widened and he lowered a hand to Zexion's crotch.

The teen vampire gasped and looked back to Axel. "Wh-what are you doing?"

Axel pulled back and looked him in the eye. "You're hard..." he whispered.

Zexion blushed again. "I-I can take care of that..." He closed his eyes as he felt the blood rush to his abdomen.

"Nonsense." he said and unbuttoned Zexion's pants. "Leave it to me."

"Axel..." He whispered. "Why are you doing this?" He hardly knew the other man and he had taken him in and even fed him and now this was happening. Was a vampires' life really this fast paced?

"Taking care of it yourself won't give you any kind of satisfaction." he whispered and pulled the zipper down and pushed the pants down off of Zexion's hips.

"But...I hardly know you..." He whispered back. Zexion couldn't deny the fact that he was enjoying every bit of what was happening.

Axel chuckled and took Zexion's length into his hand and stroked him gently. "Don't worry you'll get to know me."

Zexion sucked in a quick breath and curled his fingers into the bed sheets. He wanted to ask him why he didn't just toss him aside like Marluxia had. He thought that maybe Axel was hungry since he had interrupted his dinner, but he may have already fed when he was out.

"Have you ever had anything like this done to you?" Axel asked and he lifted up Zexion's shirt and kissed down his chest.

Zexion thought back to the time he spent with Marluxia, and shook his head. "No..." He breathed. "Never."

"Ooh... So I get to be your first. Isn't this exciting?" he said with a chuckle and pushed the blanket down and glanced at Zexion's freed erection.

Zexion blushed again. "A-Axel, did you feed before...you came b-back?" He asked quickly trying to divert his attention away from himself.

"Of course..." he whispered against the pale chest and let his tongue out to lick a pink nub.

The boy bit back a small whimper that threatened to come out, which only seemed to intensify this feeling of pure lust he had been trying to fight off.

"You know... it doesn't help... if you hold back." he said between licks, and let his hand move up and down the boy's shaft.

"Mmm...but I..." His arms felt weak and he fell back into the bed. "Marluxia never treated me like this..." He whispered.

"That man has no heart, of course he would never do this for you." he whispered and kissed down to the boy's stomach.

Zexion twisted slightly under his touch and gripped the bed sheets tighter. "Why are you doing it for me then?" He begged for an answer.

"Because new fledglings are horny little bastards." he said softly. "And if I don't do this for you then you won't get the release you need."

"Oh." He didn't try to hide the disappointment in his voice.

Axel frowned and looked up at Zexion. "Hey... look don't get like that. I'm not your mate, so this will never be out of love." he said and took his hand away from Zexion's erection.

Zexion whined when Axel pulled away. "Please...don't..." He bit his lip. "I get it..."

Axel smiled down at the boy then leaned down and kissed both of his cheeks. "I'll take you as my own." he breathed and took the boy back into his hand. "And when you find your mate he'll make you very happy."

"How many vampire couples do you come across? So far each one I've met doesn't have one and they've both lived for over two millennia..."

"I used to have one but... he was killed." Axel said softly. "There are quiet a few couples actually, besides you've only been a vampire for one night." he said and kissed across Zexion's stomach.

"Mmm...Sorry..." Zexion whispered and closed his eyes relaxing just a bit.

Axel smirked as he moved down the boy's body and took the erection into his mouth.

"Hah!" Zexion gasped and arched his back. "A-Axel?" His hands wanted to push him away but the warm feeling stayed his hands.

Axel bobbed his head a few times before he pulled away to answer the boy's call. "What?"

"Th-that feels good..." he looked down to the red-head. "I want more of that..."

"You can have as much of it as you want." he said softly and took the tip back into his mouth. Zexion bit back a moan and reached into the spiky red hair and urged him to take more with a slight push. Axel chuckled and took all of Zexion into his mouth with a quick jerk of his head. He bobbed his head slowly and ran his hands up the boy's hips.

Zexion gasped again and curled his fingers into Axel's hair, this time tugging at the strands. Axel let out a growl of pleasure and let his head move faster. He ran his hands over the boy's waist and up his chest slowly. The young vampire let out a whimper and tugged harder on Axel's hair, before letting his hands travel up the other's arms. Axel's hands found Zexion's nipple and he took them in his fingers to squeeze them gently.

"Ah!" The boy bucked his hips and dragged his nails across the red-heads' arms.

Axel moaned and deep throated the boy, as he continued to squeeze the hardening nubs between his fingers. Zexion clapped a hand over his mouth to muffle a loud moan and twisted slightly under the man. Axel took back one of his hands and lifted his mouth from the wet erection. "You're gonna be a loud one." he said as he started stroking Zexion's length with his hand.

"Mmh...!" Zexion couldn't hold it any longer when he felt Axel's hand back on his length. He tried to keep himself quiet and was blushing possibly more than he ever had when he was a human. Axel took the tip back into his mouth and sucked as he continued to moved his hand.

"Coming...!" He managed to say between moans and released. He felt his chest heave up in down in short breaths, not realizing he was holding his breath in between any noise he had made.

The older vampire swallowed the boy seed and pulled back to sit up and stare down at the boy. He licked his lips and smiled at Zexion. "Better?"

Zexion nodded slowly and tried to slow his breathing to a normal pace and he looked back up at Axel. "Y...yeah..."

Axel smiled as he brushed some sweat soaked hair out of the boy's face. "Go to sleep now."

The boy nodded again and closed his eyes. He felt like he just finished running in gym class, but he hardly done anything.

Axel leaned down and pressed a kiss to the boy's forehead. "I'll take care of you. Don't you worry." he whispered and laid down on his side of the bed.


	3. Vampires Don't Exist Do They?

Chapter 3

Karen bit her lip as she punched in the numbers on the card the cop gave her last night. Things around the boy that died the previous night just kept getting weirder and weirder but she promised to call him if anything 'developed'. She made her way into the break room and made sure no one was in before she hit the talk button.'

Aeleus flipped open his cell phone and held it between his shoulder and head. "Aeleus Hawes, RGPD."

The young nurse fiddled with the charm on her cell phone and jumped when Aeleus answered. "A-ah… Hi...This is Karen Davis. You told me to call you if anything new happened?" She wasn't exactly sure how to report what happened.

Aeleus dropped the paperwork he was going through and grabbed the phone with his hand. "You're that nurse?" he asked.

Karen nodded but stopped when she realized she was on the phone and he couldn't see her. "Yes, uh...The boy, well...we-well his...body's...missing." Xehanort rose an eyebrow unable to hear the phone call but curious as to what could have possibly brought that look to his partners face.

"What?! How could it be missing? It's a corpse." he said and ran a hand through his hair. "We'll be there in a few minutes to figure this out."

Karen nodded again. "The guys down in the morgue are pretty freaked out..." She replied. Xehanort got up from his seat and crossed his arms. "It's missing? How does a hospital lose a body?" He looked angry.

"Alright, Karen do me a favor and gather everyone together who has any kind of access to the morgue."

"Ok." She answered, sounding a little scared. Her friends had their own theories on what had happened and she didn't like either idea. She closed her phone and pocketed it, exiting the break room and started heading to the elevator.

Aeleus closed his phone and stood up. "Come on Xehanort, we have work to do."

Xehanort pulled on his jacket and sighed. "I don't like the sound of this Aeleus..."

"Neither do I." he muttered and pulled on his own jacket. "What kind of sick freak steals a boy's body from a morgue?"

"Those places are pretty much secure, at least I thought..." Xehanort started heading out of the precinct.

"That's what I thought too but…" he shrugged. "Maybe the door didn't get shut all the way or something."

"Seems rather careless, don't you think?" The white-haired policeman unlocked the car doors and was about to get into the driver's seat. "Try not to come to conclusions so quick, I know you want to catch the guy who did it."

Aeleus' eyes narrowed. "Yeah... I can't believe I let him die." he said and got into the police cruiser.

Xehanort shook his head and got into the car. "Look, Aeleus...what information was gathered...there was nothing anyone could do. They were surprised that he had held on for so long." He looked to his partner. "It's not your fault."

"What kind of cop can I be if I failed the first case?" he muttered and leaned his head on the window of the car door.

Xehanort turned on the car and started driving to the hospital. "You didn't fail...You did everything by the book. You can't put yourself down every time someone dies."

"He was just a boy." he breathed and closed his eyes. "Still a child."

"How many times do you think I've had a kid die on my time?" He shook his head. "It was going o happen eventually."

"Yeah but on the first case?" he shook his head. "Let's just catch the bastard that did this."

When they reached the hospital the tan officer asked for directions to the morgue, flashing his badge and explaining that they were investigating the break-in.

A blond nurse pointed them in the direction to the room and told them that the coroners were waiting for them.

Xehanort waved for Aeleus to follow and pushed through the door's to the morgue.

Karen was standing beside two young men who were arguing about their theories about what actually happened. "Gentlemen, please, allow us to think about the possibilities."

Aeleus walked in behind his partner and frowned. "Are you three the only ones who have access to the morgue?

The tallest of the three crossed his arms and nodded. "That's right."

Karen nodded. "Just me, Sean and Ryan."

"No janitors or higher ups?" he asked and placed a hand in his pocket.

"Well..." Ryan started and Karen interrupted.

"These two are the only ones who have keys into here. If someone needs to come in here, one of them is usually here."

"Right well has anyone suspicious been around lately?" Aeleus asked.

Ryan looked to Sean and shook his head. "No. No one was here last night. When I came in this morning I saw that." He pointed to the broken hatch in the wall.

Aeleus walked over to the small square door. "Do these doors lock?"

"Yes." Ryan answered and crossed his arms. "It won't close anymore now that it's broken though."

"Hmm... so was damage like this necessary to open it?" he asked and looked at the broken door.

"No. There's no need to break it, like that." Ryan glanced to Sean.

"So this amount of force is crazy. Why would somebody use such force to break open a door that doesn't need to be broken?" Aeleus crossed his arms.

"The guys don't think somebody broke...in..." Karen said quietly and held her arm.

Xehanort raised an eyebrow. "Well obviously someone must have otherwise the body would still be here."

"I've examined the door, I know I shouldn't have touched it but I had to find out." Sean said and bit his lip. "It was broken from the inside. Forced open."

"Who could have done that? The boy was dead so it couldn't have been him." Xehanort shook his head.

"What was the cause of death? Is there a possibility that he wasn't dead?" Aeleus asked and turned to the coroners.

Ryan rubbed his head sheepishly. "I...wasn't able to determine much, but there was a fresh bite mark on his left wrist of some kind and the doctors were unable to get any blood from him." He shrugged. "The best I can assume was heart failure...if there's no blood in the body the heart can't do its job, therefore shutting off parts of the body slowly."

"Well it's true that a body can't function without blood, but how was the cabinet broken open from the inside?" Aeleus asked and looked back at the metal cabinet.

"We don't know. His clothing is missing too, we didn't have a chance to send them to you." Ryan looked to the ground sheepishly.

"So what are the possibilities of what happened here?" Aeleus asked and place his hands on his hips.

"Ryan made a joke about him coming from the dead and now he haunts the hospital! I told him it wasn't funny." Karen blurted.

"Coming back from the dead? Is that possible." The older officer asked and looked at the hospital staff.

"Not in the real world." Ryan answered and glared at Karen.

"Ok so in the real world there's no explanation?" Xehanort asked and held out his hands. "What about in fairy tale land?"

"Well in that case it would be obvious." Ryan looked at everyone in the room. "Vampire." He said it as if everyone should know.

"Vampire... That didn't take you long to make that assumption." Aeleus said.

"Well nothing else would make sense. It's perfectly normal to assume when A, there's no blood in the body and B, the bite mark." Ryan shrugged.

"But vampires don't exist." Xehanort glanced at the coroners. "Do they?"

"Just in Fairy tale land." Ryan crossed his arms again and Karen huffed.

"Vampires do NOT exist." She said poutily.

"Ok ok... other options." Aeleus said and snapped his fingers. "We have to figure this out. I will give that family a body to bury."

Xehanort took his partner to the side. "Aeleus...we don't have enough to go on." He shook his head. "These guys don't know anything."

"Well what are we supposed to do? What are we supposed to tell the family? Oh sorry the body of your son just kind of disappeared so you can't bury him?" he hissed and glared at the other cop.

"The case will simply go cold." Xehanort closed his eyes. "This has never happened before. Bodies don't just...up and leave and they only explanation we have is a fantasy. I can't come to Isa and tell oh he's a vampire. Do you have any idea how stupid I would look in front of him?"

"Yeah we wouldn't want you to embarrass yourself in front of Isa." he said the man's name sarcastically. "He might not let you fuck him anymore." he whispered.

Xehanort looked away and towards the ground, embarrassed. "Aeleus..."

Aeleus laughed and patted Xehanort's shoulder. "Relax everyone in the office knows."

"I figured but please...we like to keep that quiet." The amber-eyed man looked up at his partner with a serious look. "The last thing I need is Arlene spreading more rumors..."

"She already makes up plenty on her own." he said and turned back around to look at the coroners.

Ryan raised an eyebrow at the two and sighed. "Do you need us to sign statements or something, or are we done here?"

"No." Aeleus sighed. "No we're done here." he said and turned to leave.

Xehanort followed after his partner and frowned in thought of what the coroners said. It wasn't real and was full of illogical thought. The fact that it fit as if they were real unnerved him.

~! #$%^&*()_+_)(*&^%$# !~! #$%^&*()_)(*&%$# !~~! #$%^&*()_)(*&%$# !~! #$%^&*()_

Axel poked his head back into his bedroom to see if Zexion was still asleep. He had taken care of the boy's ashes earlier.

The teen twisted slightly in his sleep and almost dropped off the side of the bed if it weren't for him opening his eyes just in time. He rubbed his face with a hand and took a deep breath. The last two days had really taken it out of him.

"Good morning sleeping beauty." Axel said and walked over to the new vampire.

Zexion looked over at Axel and held a hand to his head. "My head is pounding..." He said quietly and narrowed his eyes at the thin strip of light that filtered through the window's curtains.

"We'll get you some aspirin and some blood." he said. "I happen to keep some blood in the fridge."

The boy looked around for his shirt and pulled it back over his head and went to work finding his pants. "You keep blood in your fridge?"

"Yeah for when I can't get a human." he said and help Zexion out of bed. "We're going to have to go get your clothes."

"Clothes...? From my home?" He asked slowly. "Axel, I woke up in the morgue, my family thinks I'm dead, they've probably packed up all my stuff by now..." The new vampire said and pulled his pants on, stumbling.

"I don't think so. We'll go tonight." he said as he grabbed the boy's arm. "And even if they have it'll be easier for us.

Zexion's eyes widened. "My stuff!" He said referring to the backpack he had packed to take with him when he left. "Oh no...Spook..." We have to go back to where Marluxia changed me!"

"But the cops are all over that place." he sighed when he saw the boy's pout. "Who's Spook?"

"My cat..." Zexion looked worried. "He's probably lost and can't find any food..."

"How do you know Marluxia didn't take him with him or kill him?" he asked and helped Zexion to the kitchen.

"Well, that's a nice thought..." He muttered and dug sleep from his eyes. "I doubt he would...he hardly had time to get away from the cops..."

Axel sighed and walked over to his refrigerator. "Alright but don't get your hopes up." he said and opened the door.

"I think I'm getting used to having my hopes crushed..." Zexion sat at the kitchen table and put his head in his hands. "Why should I bother hoping that a mere snack to a vampire would be alive?"

Axel turned back to the boy after grabbing a bag of blood and shut the fridge door. "He wouldn't feed from your cat Zexion."

The young vampire glanced at Axel. "...Why not?"

"Don't you remember anything from last night? Human blood or your mates blood those are the only two types of blood that will do anything for your hunger." he said and pulled scissors from a drawer and cut off a corner of the blood bag. He walked over to Zexion and handed it to him. "Or would you rather I put it in a cup?"

Zexion looked away embarrassed. "No, this is fine..." He looked to the bag and took it to his lips. He had the impulse to simply bite the bag once more blood had come into his mouth, but it seemed silly.

Axel smiled at the fledgling that he considered his own and ruffled his hair. "You're an adorable vampire." he whispered.

The boy finished the bag quickly and tried to maintain eye-contact with his pseudo-sire. "Where do you get these from anyway?"

"Blood banks." he said simply with a shrug. "Hospitals. Those kinds of places."

"So you just take them and no one has a problem with it?" Zexion asked and leaned back in his chair.

He shrugged. "I don't care what they think. I have to eat too." he said with a grin.

"Oh..." Zexion shrugged. "So. What are we going to do now?"

"You need to learn how to be a vampire. And I'm going to teach you." he said and brushed some hair behind Zexion's ear.

The fledgling nodded and closed his eyes. "How about we just start with the basics?"

"What better to start." he said. "Now can you tell me anymore about what the Goddess said your power was?"

Zexion bit his lip. "Something about harnessing nightmare, or some random stuff like that. I didn't really understand."

"Harnessing nightmares... Let me think..." he rubbed the back of his head. "Did she say the words illusions or hallucinations?"

Zexion nodded. "Yeah, Illusion...sounds kind of lame..." He rubbed the back of his neck

Axel smiled. "No." he said and put his hands on the boy's shoulders. "You have a very special power Zexion. If you have the power of illusions, you can bring anyone's nightmare or dream to life."

"Yeah? But if it's just illusion then none of it's real...not like your fire." He whispered. "I'm always left with the short-stick..."

Axel chuckled. "No Zexion, your power can do so much more damage to a person than fire or wind or any other power. It might not do physical damage, but think about what that does to a person to make them live through their worst fears and nightmares." he said, smiling.

"So...how do you...call upon your power?" Zexion glanced back up at Axel.

"You focus your energy and push it out." he said and bit his lip. "It's hard to explain. But being and illusionist you should be able to reach into my mind and pull out one of my nightmares."

"So..." He closed his eyes and tried to focus and he felt this odd feeling behind him, probably Axel, he guessed. "Are you sure?"

Axel squeezed Zexion's shoulders to keep himself attached to reality. "Yeah."

Zexion pulled from the presence behind him and sent the most prominent feeling coming from it. He tried pulling it out of himself then and placed the image leaning on the entrance to the kitchen.

Axel tensed then turned to look at the image of an red haired man that looked similar to himself. "Reno..." Axel breathed and tears pricked at his eyes.

The illusion looked up and turned when his name was called. "Axel...?"

Zexion shifted under Axel's grip. "Well that's not very scary.."

Axel stared unblinking at the figure and tears ran down his cheeks. "Oh... Reno..." he whispered.

Reno smiled sadly and pushed off the beam he was leaning on. "Axel." He repeated.

"I don't get it...who is he?" Zexion crossed his arms.

Axel let go of the boy and stumbled backwards to the ground. "Stop it Zexion, stop the illusion!" he closed his eyes and put his hands over his ears.

"Axel?" The illusion looked confused and started to head towards the vampire. Zexion twisted in his seat and looked back and forth between the illusion. "I...I don't know how..."

"Pull it back... just make it stop!" he shouted and moved back to leaned on the wall. He put his head in his knees and held his hands tighter to his ears.

The illusion knelt beside Axel and placed a hand on his arm. Zexion closed his eyes and tried to pull his power back trying to remove the image from his own mind.

Axel jumped and looked up at the man, tears flowing down his face. "Reno... you can't be... You're..."

Zexion finally got the illusion to stop and opened his eyes, the illusion now gone. "Axel...who was that?"

Axel hung his head and small sobs shook his body. "It was Reno..."

"...Who's Reno...?" He bit his lip. "All he did was say your name, I don't get it, how is that a nightmare?"

"That's all he would need to do." he said and pulled his knees closer. "Reno was my mate."

Zexion got out of the seat and bit his lip. "What...what happened to him?" He asked quietly.

"Vampire hunters came to out home. He pushed me into a secret room we had to hide in for just that situation, but he wouldn't come with me. I watched through a crack in the wall as they killed him. Slowly." he lifted his head slightly the tears still rolling down his cheeks. "He never once looked over to where I was."

"He died protecting you." Zexion shook his head. "I'm sorry..."

"No, it's not your fault." he smiled sadly. "Even though it hurt to see him and it wasn't real... it was... nice to see him again."

"How long ago..."Zexion asked quietly and looked away. "No, don't answer that."

Axel smiled and pulled Zexion into a hug. "It's alright."

Zexion slowly wrapped his arms around Axel. "So...so what should we do now?" He whispered.

Axel took and deep breath and let it out. He wiped his eyes and let go of the fledgling and stood up. "I'll show you where I work. Maybe get you a job?"

"I'm not exactly regulation age for a job, not like that'd be much of a problem a few years from now...but I hardly look my age." Zexion smiled slightly.

"Age doesn't matter where I work." he said and patted the boy's shoulder.

"Am I gonna like this kind of job or is it something illegal?" Zexion joked.

"Well with your face you can pull off Lolita." he said with a chuckle. "It's a cafe slash bar kind of thing."

"L-Lolita? I-I'm not going to get a bunch of pedophiles am I?" The boy pulled away.

"If you're worried about pedophiles then you might as well move out cause after that blow job I gave you last night, I think that makes me a pedophile." he said with a laugh. "Don't worry, I can protect you."

Zexion stood up and put his hands on his hips. "How old were you when you were changed?"

"Twenty two. Why?" he asked and chuckled as he stared at the boy.

"Oh...I-I guess that does make you one then..." Zexion bit his lip. "But you know what I mean."

Axel chuckled and put and arm around the boy's waist and pulled him closer. "How old are you Zexion." he whispered and nuzzled his neck.

"My birthday is in two months...I-I would be 16..." He gulped.

"Hmm... Sweet 16." he chuckled deeply and ran a hand down Zexion's back. "A proper name for that birthday, the blood is the sweetest then."

"Maybe that's why Marluxia wasn't pushing for me to be changed..." Zexion muttered.

"Probably." he whispered and glance up at the teen. "You'll still taste divine." he whispered and he licked the boy's neck.

"Oh, so I'm stuck in an eternal divinity?" Zexion asked quietly and bit his lip.

"Hey that's not a bad thing." he whispered and pulled away from the boy's neck.

"I bet a mate wouldn't mind..." Zexion looked back at Axel. "But then I might have trouble keeping them off me."

"You're never going to get your mate off of you. Never." he chuckled and grabbed Zexion's hand. "Come on we need to get going."

"Are we heading to the cafe? What's it called?" The young vampire leaned on Axel.

"Yes, that's where we're going." he said and put an arm around the boy's shoulders. "It's called The Inferno."

"The Inferno?" Zexion looked up. "Does that have any thing to do with your power?"

Axel smirked as he looked down at the boy. "I do own the place." he said with a laugh and led the fledgling out of the apartment.

"Oh, so you're telling me that I don't have to worry about being hired because...you already have." Zexion shook his head. So who are my coworkers?

"Well... there's the cook Xaldin. Don't stay in his kitchen too long or he'll stab you. Then there's Namine, a waitress. Other human workers. Then there's you."

"So...you mean that Xaldin and Namine...aren't human, but vampires?" Zexion sighed. "At least I'll be meeting more people… like us..."

"Yep." Axel smirked and let go of Zexion as he led Zexion to the parking lot. He pulled out the keys to his car and pressed a button unlocking a red convertible

Zexion smiled at the car. "Your's looks better than his." He put his hand on the car door.

"Hmm? Who's?" he asked and opened the passenger side door for the boy.

"Ah...Marluxia's..." Zexion bit his lip. "So...you're both pretty...up there in age...how long have you known each other?"

"We don't really know each other per say, but we've met. About fifteen hundred years ago." he said and helped Zexion into the car.

"And you have no idea why he does what he does?" Zexion buckled himself in and settled himself in the seat.

Axel shook his head sadly. "It's sad really. The ones he sires usually end up dead. You were lucky." he said and shut the door, then walked over to the drivers side and got in.

"Why do they die?" Zexion asked and stared at Axel with a little worry. "Why am I lucky?"

Axel buckled his seatbelt. "Because when they wake up they're either in a morgue and end up dying there. Or they get found by vampire hunters, or they starve because they don't have anyone to help them feed." he said and started the car. "You're lucky cause you got out of that morgue and when you did you found me."

"I guess I am, lucky then..." Zexion said quietly. "You tell me that he just does it for fun...but...why does he bother changing them if he knows they're going to die eventually?"

"I told you I don't know why he does it." he said and backed out of the parking lot. "Nobody really does."

Zexion quieted down after a while. "I just...want some answers... y'know?"

"Zexion... You can ask me whatever you want." he said and glanced over at the boy as he sped through a yellow light.

Zexion let out a short laugh, hearing that phrase before and shook his head. "No, I just...want to yell at him...I guess."

"I don't think you're going to be able to do that." he said. "No one knows where he lives."

"Well, hopefully, I'll have a lot of time that I can devote to searching for him...IT shouldn't be too hard..."

Axel bit his lip and looked out the windshield. "I don't want you looking for him."

"Why not?" Zexion turned and rose an eyebrow. "Why can't I go look for him?"

"It's a waste of time that's not worth effort." he said and continued to stare straight ahead. "He'll only hurt you again Zexion."

"What more can he do to me?" Zexion shook his head and looked back to the front of the car. "He's already killed me...I doubt he can do much else."

"Crush your heart?" he whispered and glanced at the boy. "I don't want you getting hurt by him."

"...Why do you care so much?" The young vampire asked quietly.

"Because... Axel smiled and looked back to the road. "I took you as my own."

"What do you mean by that? Such an ambiguous phrase, there's a million ways that could be said..." He sighed

"I mean it as my own fledgling." he said and pulled around to the back of a building and parked.

"So...what? Am I supposed to do what you tell me or something?" Zexion frowned and shook his head.

"I don't want to see you hurt." he whispered and climbed out of the car.

Zexion got out of the car and turned to Axel. "I don't care what he's going to say to me, I know not to believe a single word he says...I just...I just want to make him pay! He stole my crappy life away from me and replaced it with an even crappier one!" The boy turned away when he realized he was crying.

Axel walked over to the boy and pulled him into a hug. "Zexion, I'll try to make it a better life for you."

"Sorry...I didn't mean crappy I just meant...I have to worry about someone killing me now..." The boy closed his eyes.

"You don't have to worry about anybody killing you." he said softly and lifted Zexion's head. "Because I would kill them first."

Zexion nodded in understanding and sighed. "O-ok..." He whispered.

Axel smiled down at the fledgling. "Prepare to be spoiled rotten."

"Really? And how do you plan on doing that?" Zexion let a smile pull at his lips as he crossed his arms

"I make pretty good money here so maybe I'll just buy you all new clothes." he said and led Zexion into the bar.

The boy followed after him and bit his lip, afraid of what he would see inside. He had no idea what to expect.

Axel smiled pushed the backdoor open to a hallway that had doors on either side of the hallway.

"So...do I really look like a Lolita?" Zexion glanced up at Axel. "I'm gonna have to wear dresses, aren't I?"

Axle smiled down at the boy and ran his fingers through the boy's hair. "Yes you do. And yes you will have to wear a dress, but it'll look amazing on you."

Zexion giggled. "Amazing? I figured myself pretty much blah, in the looks department..."

"Are you crazy? You'll look amazing in a frilly dress." he said and looked up at a blond girl walked out of one of the doors. "Ah Namine!" The blond girl looked up and smiled. "Good evening Axel. Um... Who's this?"

Zexion bit his lip, feeling the familiar wave of shyness take over.

Axel patted the boy's shoulder and pushed his forward. "This is Zexion. He's going to be working here starting tonight." Axel said with a smile.

"H-Hi." Zexion looked to Namine. "How are you?" He glanced to Axel.

Namine smiled and stepped forward to give the new vampire a hug. "I'm fine. It's nice to meet you Zexion."

Zexion hugged her back and stepped back when he saw a all man come from the other end of the hallway. The man looked intimidating.

Axel smiled at his cook. "Xal. Come here, and meet our new employee."

Xaldin held out a hand to shake and rose an eyebrow. "How did you come to meet him?" Zexion took his hand and the dred-locked man shook it gently.

"He came running out of a morgue and tried to take a bite out of me." he said and ruffled the boy's hair.

Namine giggled behind her hand. "So do you want me to dress him Ax?"

Axel smirked. "You know me all too well my dear." he laughed. "The cutest Lolita dress you have please." he said pushing Zexion towards the girl.

Xaldin nodded. "Oh. Well, I may have to leave early tonight...About… that issue we discussed earlier?" Xaldin crossed his arms.

Zexion bit his lip and looked back at Axel with a somewhat scared look.

"Of course Xaldin, I told you already that you were excused." he said and placed a hand on Xaldin's shoulder.

Xaldin waited for the door to close behind Zexion and closed his eyes. "They keep getting closer and...we may have to fight soon."

"I understand Xaldin, and I already told you that I would be with you and Luxord if that happens." he said softly. "You can count on me."

Zexion looked back at the door. "What are they talking about?" He glanced back and noticed the room he was in was a dressing room filled with girl's clothes.

"Some hunters have been tracking Xaldin and his mate. They could be here any day now. Well not here at the bar but at their home." she said and stepped over to a rack filled with dresses.

"Oh..." The boy looked at the dresses and pushed his hair behind his ear. "So...what are they going to do when they find them?"

Namine sighed. "Fight." she said and pulled a black and blue frilly dress from the rack. "Here. This will look good on you."

Zexion took the dress from her ad looked at it. "How...how do I put this on?"

The girl unzipped the back and smiled. "Undress and I'll show you."

Zexion blushed and pulled off his jacket and took off his shoes. "Uh..." He looked to the pale blond and bit his lip. "I-I'm a bit...shy..."

Namine giggled again and turned around. "Is that better?"

"Th-thanks..." Zexion pulled off his shirt and pants and looked at the dress and stepped into the dress and pulled it up and frowned at the sleeves.

"Do you have it on?" the girl asked and clasped her hands behind her back.

"I've never worn a dress before..." He tried to put his arms through the sleeves and pulled the sleeves up. "I think that's right?"

Namine turned around and giggled. "You look adorable." she said and walked over to him to zip up the back. "I think Axel will be pleased."

"That's what he keeps telling me...I really don't get it, I'm not that cute..." Zexion shrugged.

Namine moved the boy in front of a full length mirror. "Zexion... you are beyond cute." she said with a smile.

The boy stared at the mirror oddly and touched his face. "Axel wasn't kidding about change..."

"How many days have you been a vampire?" she asked and went over to a dresser and opened a drawer.

Zexion took a moment to think as stared at himself in the mirror. "Marluxia changed me...maybe two days ago?" He tugged a bit at a sleeve.

"Then yeah you're going to change a lot." she whispered. "But you'll still be you and you'll still be adorable."

"Really?" He glanced to Namine. "Is this all I have to do? Where a dress and wait tables?"

"Yep." she nodded and pulled out a lolita head band. "Here, this will pull it all together."

Zexion took the headband and placed it on his head as best he could. "Like this?"

Namine shook her head and positioned it on his head correctly and pinned it in his hair. "Like that."

"Oh...So what about you? What's your story?" Zexion cocked his head to the side.

"Axel changed me." she said softly with a smile. "Saved my life. I was an orphan and I was sick and he saved me."

""How long ago was that?" Zexion took his eyes off the mirror and pulled at the dress.

"About five hundred years ago." she said. "Axel's such a kind guy." she fluffed the skirt of Zexion's dress.

"He is...I'd probably be dead if I hadn't interrupted him that night." Zexion said quietly.

"He takes good care of his fledglings." she said. "How about we go show him how cute you are and start work for the day?"

"Ok." Zexion turned and bit his lip. "I hope I can do a good job at this..." He said nervously.

"You'll be fine." she said then pulled Zexion out in to the hallway.

Xaldin was gone from the hall and Zexion looked around for Axel.

Axel walked put of a door down the hall dressed in a tux and his hair was tied back. He adjusted his sleeves and looked up. "Oh wow... Zexion you look amazing."

"U-uh...Y-you do too." Zexion looked up at Axel. "Ah...so when do we start?"

"Right now. You'll be helping Namine for the first couple of days until you get the hang of things around here." he said and smiled down at the boy. "You did well Namine."

The girl giggled. "Thanks Axel."

Zexion blushed. "Ok...so...I follow you around and you show m the ropes?" He turned to Namine.

Namine nodded and grabbed Zexion's hand and pulled him out to the bar.

"Well, what... what does Axel do here?" He asked as he followed after Namine,

Axel walked out after them and head to the bar. Namine smiled. "He's the boss and the bartender." she said. "He's great with the bottles."

"Wh-what do you mean, good with the bottles?" Zexion twisted to look at his friend.

Axel smirked over at the boy and picked up a few bottles and a glass. He uncovered a tray of salt and flipped the martini glass up into the air and caught it upside down and dipped it in the ice. He set the glass down on the table top then grabbed a blender and put a scoop of ice in it. He set it down on the counter then went to flipping around the bottles.

"Oh..." Zexion stared as Axel continued and felt his arm being tugged on and followed after Namine.

Namine pulled Zexion over to a waitress station and pulled on a waist apron with pockets and tied it around her waist. She then handed Zexion the other one. "Put this on. It has your order pad in it and a few pens. You have to make sure you keep straws in stock to give to the customers." she said and grabbed a handful of straws and put them in the other pocket.

Zexion nodded and pulled the pad out of the pocket and stared at it. "So I just write down whatever anyone wants?"

"Yep, and I'll help you out with abbreviations and stuff like that." she said and the sound of the blender being turned on sounded through the cafe.

"Ok..." He picked a pen out of the pocket and clicked it. "So when does it start?"

"Well the cafe opens in about half an hour so we set up tables. Check to make sure they're all stocked up." the blender turned off and a few moments later Axel was behind them with three martini glasses.

"Hey..." He looked at Axel's hands and rose an eyebrow. " I'm not..." He pointed dumbly at the martini's.

Axel handed one to Namine who reached for the glass and put another one is Zexion's hand. "Your a vampire now, age doesn't really count."

"Ok." He held the glass with both hands afraid to drop it. Zexion waited for the other's to drink first.

"To the new addition to the family." he raised his glass and smiled. "Cheers." he said and took a gulp of his drink while Namine took a smaller sip.

Zexion lifted the glass to his lips and took a long sip from the glass and licked his lips trying to decipher the actual taste.

Axel smiled and glanced at the boy. "What do you think of my work?"

"...It's different..." He wasn't sure how to respond, having never consumed any alcohol.

Axel pouted and placed a hand on his hip. "Different. I worked very hard on these thank you very much."

"I-It's good! Just, just different, I've never had this stuff before." Zexion quickly explained.

"Well I can make it for you whenever you want." he said and winked at the boy. "Not that you can get drunk easily."

"Oh why not?" Zexion rose an eyebrow and took a smaller sip from the drink.

"Vampires have a high high tolerance for alcohol." Namine said and took another sip on the drink.

"Oh.." Zexion took on a thoughtful expression. "So how much would it take to get drunk?"

"Quiet a lot. Enough to kill ten humans of alcohol poisoning." Axel said and finished off his drink and headed back to the bar.

"I guess that's a blessing..." Zexion mumbled and finished off his martini.

Namine smiled and set the glass in a bucket on a shelf under the cash register.

Zexion placed his glass beside it and tugged at his dress. "Is it bad that I don't feel weird wearing a dress as much as I expected?"

"I don't know how comfortable are you with you masculinity?" she asked and walked over to a swinging door.

"My brother is the jock of the family..." Zexion answered quietly and followed after the pale blonde.

"So you like wearing women's clothing?" she asked and glanced over her shoulder at the new vampire.

"I-I've not really had the chance up til now. I just wore baggy clothing..." The boy explained.

Namine walked into the kitchen and held the door open for Zexion. "Do you like it?"

"I think I look pretty good in this outfit...but it's no like I'm going to skip and frolic in it..." Zexion held onto his arm and walked into the kitchen where Xaldin was already working on a few dishes.

Namine smiled and walked over to a counter and leaned on it. "Hey Xal."

"Nam." The cook nodded in acknowledgment and continued working, though it seemed he was doing nothing the way he was acting.

Namine frowned and walked over to the older vampire. "Are you...ok?"

"I'm fine." Xaldin answered and moved on to another dish. "Why do you ask?"

"Well I thought that you might be a little uptight about the whole... hunters thing." she said and clasped her hands behind her back.

The man stopped and looked at her then glanced to Zexion. "I'm fine." He repeated, yet slower than the first time. The short vampire suddenly felt uncomfortable in the room and began to back out of the kitchen.

"You know you can leave. There are other cooks that can cover for you." she said and stared at the man.

"I can't just sit around and wait for it to happen, Namine." He turned and stared at Zexion and let out a sigh. "I think 'he' is one of the one's after him." He said after taking his eyes off of the boy.

"Wait... you mean...?" Namine bit her lip. "Have you told Axel about this?" she asked quietly.

"No...I'm not sure if it's in everyone's best interest if he knew." Xaldin said quietly.

"He'll want to know Xaldin." she snapped. "That man is dangerous and if he's really the one after Luxord then... This is serious and needs massive planning."

"And what if I do? What if Axel gets himself killed?" Xaldin frowned and walked over to Namine. "Luxord already knows and that is the only one I am telling."

"How do you expect me to keep this from him?" she hissed. "That's the man who killed his mate? Don't you think he wants some kind of revenge?"

"That's exactly why I am NOT telling him!" Xaldin growled back and stared down at her. "Do not tell him."

"Are you going to stop me?" she challenged and placed her hands on her hips. "Axel deserves to know!"

"We've got it handled, Namine." Xaldin turned back to his cooking. "If you tell him, and he leaves in search of him, who's going to take care of this one?"

Namine glanced at Zexion in the doorway and then looked back at Xaldin. "I will." he said simply and crossed her arms.

Xaldin wiped his hands with a towel. "Fine. You can tell him that I'm gone until things clear up, as well." He pushed past Zexion as he left the kitchen in a dignified huff. The boy bit his lip.

Namine bit her lip as her friend left the kitchen then walked over to the door. "I need to talk to Axel." she said and walked past the boy and headed to the bar.

Zexion wasn't quite sure what was going on but it was obviously a very touchy subject. Namine walked over to the bar and leaned on the counter. "Axel...There's something you should know..."

Axel looked at his fledgling and leaned on the counter on his elbows. "What is it Nam?"

"Xaldin thinks that one of the hunters is Braig." She didn't make eye contact with her Sire and bit her lip.


	4. Wearing Food Is In This Season

Thanks to all those who read an reviewed and just today I got a question from a reader about something that happened in… I believe chapter 1? Well anyway she wanted to know why Axel had to give Zexion a blowjob. I know a lot of you are asking: "Why do you need to ask why there is random yaoi? Just roll with it!" But anyway I digress…**skyblaze112**, as far as your question as to why Axel had to give Zexion a blowjob… 2 answers. 1) In my world new born vampires and horny as fuck. And 2) In my own personal world… Axel love's to blow. The end. Hope that answered your question! ^_^

ENJOY MY LOVELIES!

Chapter 4

Axel stared down at his older fledging and he lowered his arms as his hand formed into fists. "Braig…" Axel growled under his breath as his eyes narrowed. "Where do we think they're coming from?"

"Xaldin was pretty tight-lipped about it." Namine pushed a wisp of blonde hair behind her ear.

Axel walked out from behind the bar and headed towards the back hallway. "I'm leaving the bar in your care Namine." he said.

The girl nodded and clasped her hands behind her back. "Be careful, Axel." Zexion bumped into Axel as he was leaving the kitchen and looked up at the fiery red-head.

Axel looked down at the boy with narrowed eyes then his face softened and he sighed. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulders and sighed.

"A-Are you going, then?" He bit his lip. "I...you haven't trained me to hunt, yet." He said in hopes of distracting him from leaving. Whatever was going on it sounded dangerous.

Axel's shoulders slumped and he ran a hand through his hair taking the hair tie out. "No... I'm not going."

Zexion tilted his head to the side. "You sure about that?" He asked.

Axel patted the boy's head and smiled sadly. "My revenge can wait." he said softly.

"He didn't want to tell you, you know. About Braig...I think he was worried about you getting yourself killed." Zexion murmured.

Axel's smile widened. "I can't be killed that easily." Axel said. "I'm sorry if I worried you."

"It's ok...I can't really sympathize with you but...I can understand why you would want to leave so badly." Zexion smoothed out his dress and looked down at himself. "Do you think I'll be recognized? I mean...some of the high school kids go to bars..."

"I don't think so but even if they do..." he moved to the side so that Zexion could see Namine. "We have Namine and her wonderful gift."

"What's that?" Zexion looked at the girl and she waved back with a coy smile on her face.

"She can read minds, and control memories and thoughts." he said and smiled at the girl. "She makes me so proud."

"Wow, I guess that can come in handy." He glanced to Axel, curious of why he was so proud of her.

"As does yours." Axel said and put a hand on Zexion's shoulder.

"I don't know about handy, I want to invite customers, not scare them away." Zexion let out a laugh.

"I'm sure you can try to control dreams as well as nightmares." he said softly. "Come on we need to get ready to open."

Zexion rose an eyebrow and went after Namine, ready to learn the ropes of being a proper waiter...or maybe in his case waitress. He wasn't quite sure.

Namine smiled at the boy and started teaching him the table numbers.

~!$%^&*()_++_)(*&^%$!~~!$%^&*()_+

Zexion wiped down a table Namine had instructed him to bus and felt a tiny itch in his stomach. He barely noticed it though, too busy with orders bouncing around in his head to really think of anything else.

Axel glanced over at his newest fledgling then went back to making drinks. Namine walked over to Zexion. "You doing ok?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, fine. You?" Zexion wiped the table more trying to get a particular stain off of it.

"I'm fine. Axel sent me to ask if you were getting hungry." she asked and took the wash cloth from the boy.

"Ah, no, not really..." He looked to Namine then glanced to his pseudo-sire.

"Alright. You know if you get hungry just tell me." she said and rubbed the stain out quickly.

"Ok so which table is next?" He asked turning his gaze back to the blonde.

"Go back to the kitchen and take table ten their food." she said and went to take another tables order after giving Zexion back the cloth.

Zexion looked up and nodded, mumbling, 'table ten, got it.' and headed to the kitchen to get the food. He was starting to get the hang of things.

Namine took the table's order and went over to the bar.

Axel glanced up at Namine. "How's he doing?"

"He says he's fine, but I can tell he's hungry." She glanced to the kitchen. "Otherwise he's been working hard. Harder than the other employees at least." She smiled.

Axel smiled. "I new he would be a hard worker. Keep an eye on him for me would you Namine?"

The pale girl nodded. "How are you feeling?" Namine asked and placed a hand on the older vampires hand.

"Frustrated." he said and leaned on the counter. "I want to go after him so badly." he muttered.

"Then what's stopping you?" Namine asked quietly.

"I promised Zexion I would take care of him." he said and watched the boy go into the kitchen.

"So that's why he's lying...he thinks the longer he can keep from feeding the longer you'll stay." Namine mused aloud.

"I don't plan on leaving." he sighed. "I'll wait until the hunters get here. More time to prepare."

"And what exactly are you preparing for?" Namine watched Zexion come back out of the kitchen with a full tray of food that looked like too much for him to carry but he was managing just fine.

"For Braig." he hissed. "I've been slacking on training lately." he said and glanced down at his body.

"Axel..." Namine placed a hand on his arm comfortingly. Zexion moved through the cafe and dodged a customer who stood up abruptly and kept the grip on the tray firmly. When he finally arrived to table ten he kept his eyes to the table and tried glanced at the notes on the order sheet.

"Don't worry about me Nam." he said and patted her hand.

Without a word he placed two plates down one in front of the blonde woman and then reached to set a plate in front of a rather tan man. "He said a quiet, 'Excuse me.' as he reached and when he caught the smell of the man he was reaching over his hand holding the tray suddenly lost its grip and the rest of the contents landed right on top of the man's lap. The blonde almost instantly let out a laugh and the last occupant of the table covered his mouth as he gasped.

Aeleus let out a shout and stood up quickly and looked at the waitress.

Xehanort glanced at his partner then looked at the teen in the dress.

Namine turned when she heard the shout and bit her lip when she realized what happened. "Ah! I-I'm so sorry!" Zexion pulled the small washrag from his apron and was about to try and help wipe away the mess he had created when his mouth began to water. "I-I'll be right back!" Zexion quickly turned away from the table and rushed towards the back hallway.

Axel watched the boy run away. "I'll be right back." he said and followed after the boy. "Zexion?"

Zexion went into the dressing room and sat down in the middle of the room, holding his hands over his mouth and closed his eyes.

Axel walked into the room slowly and knelt down next to Zexion. "Hey... you ok? What happened out there?"

Zexion shook his head and pulled his hands away. "I-I...I don't know, I just...I don't know..." He said with wide eyes.

Axel tilted the boy's head up and examined his eyes, then his fangs. Axel sighed and stood up pulling the boy with him. "You're starving. Sit down." he moved Zexion over to a chair.

Zexion shook his head quickly. "No-I was just...I was a little hungry, but...not starving!" He tried to explain.

He turned Zexion to the mirror. "Look at how red your eyes are Zexion."

"I..." He looked at his reflection and shook his head. "I didn't think I was that hungry..." He said quietly.

"Wait here. I'll go get you something." he said and walked over to the door. "Then you're going to have to apologize to that man for spilling his food on him."

Zexion licked his lips and put a hand to his face in confusion. Had he really been that hungry?

Axel walked out of the room and looked at the bar for a person drunk enough to give to Zexion.

Namine was over by the off-duty policemen helping to clean up the mess. The blonde at the table had finally quieted down and was chatting lively with Aeleus, probably telling him that the whole precinct would know about the mishap by early morning. Namine had left a note on the inside of the bar counter with an arrow pointing at the bleary-eyed drunk on the other side of the counter.

Axel glanced at the note then looked over at the man and smirked. "Sir would you come with me please?" he asked and grabbed the man arm.

The older man looked at his bartender and his eyes brightened up. "Heeeyy...Where we goin'?" He got off of the barstool and pulled his bottle off of the counter.

"Somewhere special." he said softly and pulled the bottle from the man's hand. "You won't be needing that."

The man looked at his bottle sadly then back to Axel. "Somwherr... speshul?" He asked slowly.

"Oh yes... Very special..." he said and ran a finger down the man's neck.

The man smiled. "Oh... ok. Got it." His smile grew wider and he attempted to wink.

Axel pulled the man to the back rooms and let out a little chuckle.

Zexion was pacing in the dressing room trying to figure out how he had gotten so hungry all of a sudden. Now that he was thinking about it the growl in his stomach announced its presence with a loud mumble. "Maybe I *was* really hungry..."

Axel walked back into the room pulling the drunken man with him. "Zexion, dinner is here."

The boy looked up and he tried not to look grossed out by the older man's lack of regular hygiene. He took a few steps forward and reached p o look at the man more clearly and the man's smile grew wider if it were even possible. "I didn't know..." He started but the thought left his mind as quickly as it had come to him.

"Go on Zexion. He's all for you." Axel said and put the man in Zexion's arms.

Zexion tilted the man's neck back and bit into the drunk's neck and began to suck his blood. The man felt nothing at first and the thought never registered but pain and he let out a bit of whimper.

Axel smiled and sat down on another chair and crosses his legs.

The boy raised a thin finger to the man's lips as he continued to suck and the man seemed to quiet down a little. He stared at Axel in shock and a few tears came to his eyes.

Axel smirked at the man and gave him a little wave. "Night night." he said with a chuckle.

The man's eyes slipped closed and Zexion finished with him and quickly pushed the man away. "Thanks..." He said quietly and wiped the back of his mouth, the taste of the man seemed bitter compared to the boy he had last fed on.

Axel took the body and placed it on a small couch. "Ready to go back to work now?"

Zexion nodded and headed towards the door. "I'm sorry I made a mess, Axel." He whispered.

"It's alright Zexion it's only your first night." he said and put a hand on Zexion's shoulder.

The boy smoothed out his dress and nodded. "Ok..." He took a deep breath and headed back out into the cafe and started to head over to table ten. "I'm terribly sorry about what happened. If there's anything I can do to make up for it please let me know." He bit his lip as he looked at Aeleus. Something about him seemed so familiar, but he couldn't quite figure it out.

Aeleus looked up at the boy and smiled. "That's alright, accidents happen. And it's your first night working right?" he asked.

"O-oh, yes..." Zexion blushed and looked away. "How could you tell?" He asked and looked back at the man.

"You just seem really shy and well the blond girl told me." he paused and stared at the boy. "Do I know you young lady?"

At first Zexion didn't know how to respond and kept his mouth shut as he glanced back to the other vampires in the room who know doubt were listening to the conversation. Unsure of what to say he kept his mouth shut and shook his head back and forth.

The cop bit his lip. "Hmm... you just look so familiar..."

"Nope. I-I just moved here." Zexion quickly said.

"Wrong leg, Isa!" The blonde woman at the table pushed away from the table slightly and the blue-haired man looked away embarrassed.

The blue haired man blushed and put his hands in his lap. "Sorry Arlene." he muttered and glanced over at Xehanort.

The tan man simply shrugged and looked to the waiter. "Maybe you're right, Ael, she does look awfully familiar." Zexion looked back to the bar in worry.

Aeleus narrowed his eyes as he stared at the girl. "Well anyway we can figure that out later, we're keeping her from her work."

"Oh, thank you..." He nodded and quickly turned back to rush to the bar. "Axel! Axel, someone recognizes me!" He whispered urgently from the other side of the counter.

Axel looked over at the boy. "Who?" he asked softly.

"The man I dumped food on! He and his friend think they know me from somewhere...but I don't know where from, they look familiar but I can't figure it out..." He wailed quietly.

"Zexion calm down." he said and place a hand over the boy. "Relax. I highly doubt they know you."

Zexion bit his lip. "Well at least they think I'm a girl..."

Namine walked up to the two with a questioning look. "What's going on?"

"Zexion say that the people at table ten recognize him." Axel said and shrugged. "They're hardly a threat,"

"Threat? What do you mean by that?" The boy glanced between the two and back at the last table he waited.

"A threat to exposing us." he said and went back to work.

Zexion looked to Namine and she shrugged. "If you want I can dig through what they're thinking? If you want some peace of mind?"

The boy shook his head and waved his hand back and forth. "No that's their business...It may be just a case of mistaken identity...I mean...I don't look all that much like I used to..."

"I don't know Zexion. It might be a good idea to let Namine do a little digging."

After a moment of thinking he sighed. "Fine. I guess it will make me feel better..." Zexion left to go back to waiting the other tables and avoided the area where he had made a complete mess.

Namine went back to the kitchen and grabbed the dishes that were dropped and headed back over to the table.

Aeleus looked up as the girl approached the table. "Hello there."

"I'm sure she's apologized enough but I'm sorry for the issue." Namine started with the tan man and delved into his thoughts, but there was nothing but the thoughts of the one beside him. Namine placed Isa's dinner in front of him and smiled. "So how has your evening been?"

"Quiet good." Isa said and smiled at the girl. "Thank you." he said as his hand moved onto the leg of the man next to him.

Namine obviously wasn't going to get anything from either of the two men beside each other and placed Aeleus' meal before him and concentrated on the man. "Glad to hear it. Can I refill any of your drinks?"

"No I think we're all good here." Aeleus said and smiled at the girl. "Thank you."

The girl stood at the table for a bit longer digging deeper through Aeleus' mind and with masked surprise she smiled and nodded. "Enjoy." She said as she walked back to the bar. She was stopped halfway to pick up a drink from the bar and she nodded with her small smile. When she relayed the order to Axel she bit her lip.

Axel frowned as he stared at the girl. "What's going on Nam?"

"The reason he thinks he knows Zexion is dead on...Literally." She muttered.

"So we're in trouble?" Axel muttered and bit his lip. "Damn."

"Not if I can remove his memory of meeting Zexion here. But as Zexion said he's confused by the gender of his 'waitress'." She leaned back on the counter and sighed. "Which would you have me do?"

"I'm concerned with how Zexion reacted around him." he said. "I think we'll leave it be for now, and if it gets worse we'll have you scrub him clean."

Namine nodded. "Got it...why do you think he reacted the way he did around that man?"

"I'm not sure but I'm thinking potential mate?" he shrugged. "It's just a thought."

"Isn't that a bit early for a fresh new vampire to think about?" Namine eyed him curiously as she took the margarita.

"Everybody's different. Like I said it's just a thought." he said.

Namine shrugged and walked back to the girl who ordered the drink and sighed. Zexion began to bus another table and went to work making the table back to being as clean as possible.

"Zexion!" Axel called the boy over to the bar. "Come here for a minute."

With a final swipe of the table Zexion walked over to the bar and rose an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Could you tell me what exactly happened when you dropped the food?" he asked and leaned on the bar.

"I-I went weak a little and then I had a sudden onset of hunger...I wasn't that hungry up till right then though..." Zexion recalled.

"Hmm..." Axel rubbed the back of his head in thought. "Weak how?"

"I'm not sure...I just...felt really...I really wanted to feed when I got close to that poor man, that's why I ran." Zexion bit his lip.

"So you wanted to feed from him? But you didn't want to kill him?" he asked and smiled slightly.

"I-I don't know I just...really wanted to feed...I may have wanted to kill him, but I don't know why I would..." The boy looked worried.

Axel chuckled and patted the boy's hand. "Relax Zexion. I'm just trying to figure something out. There's no need to panic."

Suddenly the boy looked apprehensive. "Figure what out?" He asked slowly.

"That man, the reason why you might have wanted to feed so badly is because he might be a potential mate for you."

Zexion looked back at the man who was now enjoying his meal. "Potential...mate? What makes you think that?"

"Well look at how you acted around him." he said with a smile. "You were doing so well and then you get near him and it's like you lost everything you learned."

"Everything but the flight response..." He mumbled and fiddled with his dress. "Y'know...he thinks I'm a girl..."

Axel smirked. "Do you not want him to know that you're a girl?" he said with a laugh. "So that he doesn't fall in love with the girl you?"

"W-well it's a little embarrassing...Besides, he might freak if he figured out I was a guy...the wrong way." He glanced back at the man.

"So you want him to keep thinking that you're a girl?" he asked.

"Well...for now...I don't want to embarrass him further in front of his friends..." He bit his lip. "He looks so familiar..."

"Ah... so you know him too?" he said and glanced over at the man. "Namine got to dig around in his mind a little."

The boy frowned. "I asked you not to do that...It's an invasion of privacy..." He mumbled and crossed his arms.

"Well don't you want to know how he knows you?" he said and grinned at the teen.

Zexion looked up at Axel and nodded after a moment of thought. "Fine..."

"Good. We'll talk after work." he said and patted the boy's shoulder.

Zexion sighed and rolled his eyes. "So you're going to make me wait?" He turned away and shrugged. "I'm avoiding that man for the rest of the night, wouldn't want to dump his drink in his lap too."

"You'd dump yourself into his lap." Axel joked and walked off to take a drink order.

Zexion blushed and went to a couple that Namine had seated and began to take their order, tossing small glances to the man.

Axel watched as he adopted fledgling went back to work and laughed at his behavior. It had been an interesting night.

~!$%^&*()_++_)(*&^%$!~~!$%^&*()_+

Zexion wiped down the last table and let out a deep breath as he sat in the chair. He felt exhausted and Namine grinned at him. "The first of many, many nights for you, Zexion."

Axel walked up to them and pulled his hair out of the hair tie. "How was it Zexion? Have fun?"

The boy looked up at Axel. "I'd love to say yes...but after that incident I just felt uneasy for the rest of the night.."

"Then you won't like what I'm going to say. He's kind of like a regular here." Axel said and put his hands on his hips.

"I am starving!" Namine obviously exaggerated. "I think I'm going to go hunt for a bit..." She mused aloud and pulled off her apron. Zexion groaned and put his face in his hands.

"Alright have fun Nam." he said and looked at Zexion. "Come on lets go home."

Zexion got up out of the chair and pushed it back underneath the table. "So...it's after work and you have something to tell me." He stated as he pulled off his apron and started walking toward the dressing room.

"Ah yes... I did say that I would tell you didn't I?" he said and followed the boy into the dressing room. "Do you remember when you changed?"

"Of course! One look at this," He tugged the cuff off of his wrist and showed Axel the bite mark. "And I remember how betrayed I felt." He frowned and pulled off his head band and tried to reach for the zipper on the dress.

Axel stepped behind the boy and pulled the zipper down. "Do you remember being found?"

"Vaguely..." He bit his lip I was crying and I kept pushing whoever it was away, still thinking that Marluxia would come back for me." He said quietly.

"That man was the cop that found you and took you to the hospital. He blames himself for your so called "death"."

Zexion pulled off the dress and pulled on his shirt. "Why would he blame himself?" He asked quietly as he pulled on his pants.

"He wanted to stay with you to make sure that you were ok and he thinks that's the really why you died because he kept you from the doctors." he went to sit down on the loveseat. "He's rather torn up about it really."

"I don't...remember seeing any doctors..." He bit his lip. "What am I supposed to do if he finally figures out why I'm so familiar?"

"Well that's up to you. You can handle him however you see fit."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked as he pulled on his shoes and pulled on his jacket.

"Well you can get to know him, or... kill him." Axel shrugged. "Whichever you think is better."

"Kill him? But he hasn't done anything wrong!" He stood up. "I...I couldn't possibly kill him..." He frowned.

Axel smiled at the boy. "Does the thought of him dying make your heart hurt?"

Zexion nodded. "I couldn't kill him...Otherwise I would have just fed on him right then and there...right?"

"True." Axel said and nodded. "You can go to him you know. Get to know him. It should be easy to find out where he lives."

"Yeah? And how would I do that? How would I approach him and 'get to know him'?" He crossed his arms. "He'll freak out if I come near him, probably shoot me with his gun!"

"You have the power of illusions Zexion. Use it to your advantage." Axel said and gave the boy a wink.

"So what? I just follow his scent like a hound and find out where he lives? And once I get there I suppose I'm just going to have to crawl through his bedroom window, too?"

"Well... yeah why not?" he said with a laugh, then left the room to changes into his own clothes..

Zexion crossed his arms and took a deep breath. He already memorized the way the man smelled and shook his head. "Fine, whatever I'll be a freaking tooth fairy, if that's what it takes..." He muttered and left the dressing room.

Axel poked his head out of his own room and smiled. "Will you be able to find your way back home?"

Strangely enough Zexion was able to recall every street name on his way to the cafe and nodded slowly. "I think so..." He turned and started to leave out the front of the bar. "I guess I'll see you later , then?" Zexion called back.

"Yeah, Try to be back by morning ok?" he called after the boy and went back into his dressing room.

The young vampire nodded and pushed his way out the doors and started on a meandering path that would lead him to his 'potential mate'.


	5. Guardian Angel

Chapter 5

Aeleus walked out of his bathroom toweling his hair dry, another towel wrapped around his waist. He walked over to his dresser and sighed. He was still hung up on the girl he met at the cafe, how she looked so much like the boy who had dies two nights ago. He pulled the towel off his waist and threw it into a hamper next to his dresser then pulled out a pair of pajama bottoms and pulled them on.

Zexion finally stopped when the scent had eventually led to a condo. The lights were still on and he bit his lip, unable to figure out how exactly he was going to disguise himself. A sudden thought came to his mind and he thought about the most loveliest thing he could think of. When he opened his eyes he looked down at himself and grinned when it worked. Looking like an angel he ran up to the side of the condo and bit his lip. "Here goes nothing..." He mumbled as he climbed up the condo's wall and peeked into the room with the lights on.

Aeleus turned from the dresser and happened to glance at the window. He froze when he saw Zexion outside. Turning pale, he walked over to the window and opened it.

Zexion blushed slightly and bit his lip. "H-hello..." He said meekly, the courage to approach suddenly disappeared.

Aeleus stared at the boy and looked him up and down. "I-Ienzo?"

Zexion blinked in surprise when he heard his former name. "Ah, y-yes...that's my name..." He looked to the man and bit his lip. "May I come in?"

Aeleus held out his hand to help the boy and stared at his wings. "Yes of course."

Zexion took his hand carefully and climbed in through the window. He pulled away quickly and kept his distance from the man. "So...you...you were the one that found me?"

"Yes." Aeleus gulped. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry that I let you die. If I would have just given you to the doctors you could still be alive..."

Zexion waved his hand dismissively. "There was nothing you could do...It was...too late for me." He said quietly.

"Can you tell me who did this to you. I can catch them. I can avenge you. I can put the person who did this to you behind bars." Aeleus said and continued to hold onto the boy's hand.

Zexion shook his head. "No...don't...he'll kill you too..." Zexion stared at his hand. "What is your name?"

"But Ienzo, you were just a boy, the police force can handle one man..." he sighed and his shoulders slumped. "Aeleus. I'm Aeleus."

"Aeleus...don't go after him. Please..." He pulled his hand away. "He's too powerful, I don't want you to die."

"You don't want me to..." he processed the words and shook his head. "Why would you care about the man who let you die?"

Zexion bit his lip. "Aeleus...I was gone, there was nothing for you to do that could have helped me. But...you tried. You tried to save me, I don't think of you as the man who...let me die..."

"Then why are you here? Is this even real, or is this just a dream?" he whispered and sat down on his bed.

The boy clasped his hands together. "I...I want to know more about you." He said quietly. His plans seemed to be crumbling and he wasn't sure what to say next.

"Know more about me? Well... like what?" he put a hand to his head. "This must be a dream."

"Aeleus...this isn't a dream..." Zexion came to the edge of the bed. "I just...want to know more about the man that cared enough about me."

Aeleus reached up and caressed the boy face. "Why aren't you visiting your family, don't they mean more to you?" he asked and tilted his head to the side.

Zexion closed his eyes and bit his lip trying not to think about Aeleus as a meal. "Th-they...they don't care about me."

"Really...? They were all at the hospital. Your mother... she was crying, so was your brother."

"I...don't want to visit them..." He reached up to hold the man's hand. "I'd rather...talk to you." The boy whispered.

"But you don't even know me..." he whispered as he stared into the boy's eyes.

"That's why I want to know you more...You were the last person I saw before I died..." Zexion bit his lip.

"I'm only a stranger to you... you have reason to know me..." he said softly. It could have been the couple of beers that he had at the cafe earlier but something was making him want to kiss the angel.

"Aeleus...you..." Zexion closed his eyes. "You have no idea..."

The older man pulled Zexion down into a kiss and closed his eyes as their lips met.

"Mmh!" Zexion opened his eyes and put his hands on Aeleus' shoulders. He wasn't sure what to do, now that all of the senses he had been suppressing came back full force.

Aeleus pulled back and stared up at the boy, then pulled back with wide eyes. "I'm sorry...!"

"N-no... " Zexion held his hand to his lips, expecting his fangs ready to bite but they weren't there. "It's...it's fine..." He pulled away slightly.

Aeleus let go of the boy and moved further on his bed. "So... you're an angel?"

"Ah...uhm..." Zexion's mind was a complete jumble of thoughts and he couldn't form a complete sentence. "I..."

"Are you alright?" he asked and tilted his head to the side. "Would you like to sit down?"

"No...that's...that's-I'm fine." That kiss was different from the one's Marluxia gave him and he wanted to do it again, but he knew that if he tried he wasn't sure if he could make it for long. "Why did you do that?" He asked quietly.

"I... well I felt like it. You just looked so adorable..." he whispered with a small smile.

"Oh..." he put a hand to his head as he began to get a headache of keeping his disguise up for so long and trying not to let his senses over power him. "Th-thank you..."

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?" he asked and helped the boy down onto his bed.

"I...I'm sorry...I think I need to go..." He bit his lip, not truly wanting to go.

"Are you not supposed to be here?" he asked and caressed the boy's cheek.

"I-it's not that...I just...I'm not what you think I am..." Zexion pushed his hand gently away.

"If you're not angel then..." he paused and sighed. "What are you?"

"Not worthy of being called that..." The boy shook his head. "I...have to go..."

"Why?" Aeleus grabbed Zexion wrist. "What's wrong?"

Zexion tugged on his arm in the mans grip. "I can't...I can't keep this up for long, please let me go."

"Can keep what up? Ienzo you're not making any sense." he said and pulled the back towards him. "What's going on?"

The illusion faltered a bit and he closed his eyes, trying to keep from losing the disguise. "Please, Aeleus...I have to go.."

"Then you have to promise to come back." he said not letting go of the boy.

"I-I will...!" He felt a sharp pain and gripped his head. "I'll come back..." He bit his lip.

Aeleus let the boy go and sighed when he disappeared out the window.

Zexion ran and dropped the disguise and leaned against a tree, his head pounding. He didn't want to move and he took a deep breath, wishing that he had his cell phone on him to call Axel.

"So how'd it go?" Axel looked down at the boy from a branch in the tree.

Zexion looked up at the tree in surprise and relaxed when he realized it was Axel. "Fine...What are you doing here?"

"Making sure you don't get hurt." Axel jumped down from the tree and stood next to the boy. "You look like you're in pain."

"Yeah...this illusion stuff...After a while it gets to me..." He sighed. "He wants me to come back..."

Axel smiled. "Does he now? And are you going to come back?"

Zexion nodded. "I can't put up a disguise like that again...That's why I left so early..." He closed his eyes.

"Well then don't disguise yourself next time." he said and put an arm around the boy's waist.

"I'm going to try that...but that won't help me much...I have to try and not breathe, and...he just kept...He was so inviting..." Zexion licked his lips.

Axel smirked. "You wanted to bite him?" he asked and helped the boy over to his car.

"You have no idea...I froze up when he kissed me...I-I didn't know what to do." The young vampire shook his head.

Axel looked down at the boy. "He kissed you? Oh wow. Ok well I have to tell you something Zexion."

"What?" The boy looked up, worried that he had done something wrong.

"You can't bite him. Period. Got that?" he said and helped the boy into the front passenger seat.

"Wait...what do you mean? I-I mean I don't want to kill him...but..." Zexion settled into the seat and looked at the dashboard confused.

Axel shut the door behind the boy and walked over to the drivers side and got in. "Vampires have a chemical in their bodies that is released when we bite into a human and if we don't drain the human then the chemical just eats away at them. So no biting him if you like him, period."

"So I can still bite him if he wants me to change him...right?" Zexion's shoulder's slumped when he knew he had to tell him what he was eventually.

"Yes. But only if he asks you ok?" he said then started the car. "But only if he asks." Axel repeated.

"Ok, ok..." Zexion slumped in his seat. "It'll be exciting if he can figure out that I'm his lovely waitress."

Axel smiled. "Such a tease. What kind an illusion did you use?"

"I couldn't really think of anything...so I just went with being an angel..." Zexion blushed. "God, I'm hungry..."

Axel laughed. "An angel? Well you certainly have the face for it. That might be why you're so hungry too much too early. We'll get you home and feed you."

"I've got to remember to feed before I see him again..." He sighed, "Can we find another boy, that old man was horrible..."

"Oh you like the young ones?" he chuckled and started to drive back to his apartment.

Zexion nodded. "Axel...how can I be with Aeleus… without wanting to bite him?"

"You can't. That's the thing, you're going to crave his blood more than anything."

"I meant...How close can I get to him without losing it?" He bit his lip. "Would it help if I told him what I was?"

"Possibly, then maybe he can stop you. And how close are you talking?" he asked with a smirk.

"Well...I told you he kissed me..." He bit his lip and looked the other way. "How close do you think?"

"You want to sleep with him?" he chuckled. "Do you love him?"

Zexion folded his hands in his lap, embarrassed. "I don't know...he's...he's nice..." He said quietly.

Axel turned onto another street and drove past several bars. "But you want him."

"Yeah...in every way imaginable..." He scanned the sidewalks for a young man, stumbling out of bar.

"You should have just "put away" your wings and let have his way with you." he joked and pulled over when he saw a young man walk out of a bar.

"I need to figure out how to control my thirst first..." He shook his head. "Otherwise I wouldn't know what to do with myself."

"Maybe a gag?" he chuckled and put the car in park. "We can stop at a sex shop."

"Axel, I'm serious..." The boy groaned. "I just want to be close with him right now..."

"Then after you feed I'm taking you back." he said softly. "Then you let him have his way with you." he said

"He'll be asleep by the time I get back there..." Zexion sighed and got out of the car. "You coming?"

"I want to see how you handle this. And you can wake him up." he said softly.

"Fine." Zexion turned and followed after the man who was slowly on his way back home and tapped him gently on the shoulder. "Uh-uhm...C-Can you help me?"

The man turned around and stumbled slightly the smirked. "Oh... what's a pretty little boy like you doing in this part of town?" he said and put his hands on Zexion's hips.

Zexion moved the man's hands away from him and bit his lip. "I'm lost, can you help me find the closest bus stop?"

"I can help you find your way somewhere." he said and pinned the boy to a wall of a building.

"Hey! Let go of me, I just want to go home!" Zexion huffed and crossed his arms, not bothering to get the man off him.

The man smirked and leaned down to kiss the boy's neck. "I can take you home..."

"No, I don't think so..." Zexion gripped the back of the man's head and bit into the man's neck none too gently, a little angry for being put in the position he was in.

The man gasped and put his hands on the boy's hips. "Hey not so rough... that hurts..."

Zexion dug his fangs deeper into the man's neck and began to drink his blood. He put his free hand on the man's chest to keep him from getting too close.

The human weakened and fell against the boy. "What are you..."

The young vampire let go of the man's head and steadied him from falling out of his grip. The man fell unconscious in the boy's arms and Axel appeared behind the man and lifted him from under his arms. "Was that enough for you?"

Zexion nodded and wiped his mouth. "I should be good...at least for a few hours..." He bit his lip.

Axel laughed and carried the man to the car. "Ready to go back to your man?"

"Yeah...I'm ready." Zexion took a deep breath. "What if he closed his window?"

"I'm sure he would leave it open. I mean he kissed you right?" he chuckled and put the body in the drunk.

"I guess." Zexion got into the car quickly, hoping that no one noticed his friend dump a dead body into a trunk. Axel shut the trunk and got into the drivers seat. He pulled away from the curb and made a U turn.

Zexion couldn't help the small smile that formed on his face.

Axel smiled and turned Zexion's face back towards him. "I'm happy you found a mate so quickly. I've never seen it happen so fast before." he kissed Zexion's forehead. "I wish you happiness."

"I guess I should consider myself lucky then..." Zexion replied quietly. "Oh, wouldn't it be a nightmare if he was seeing someone else?"

"Now think about that Zexion. If was seeing someone why would he kiss you?" Axel laughed and let go of the boy.

"I'm not sure what he's thinking right now..." He bit his lip. "He's probably had a rough couple of days..."

"Why do you think that?" the red head asked and turned into Aeleus' condominium complex.

"He wants to avenge me...but I told him not to. He's probably been thinking about it the whole time since he met me." Zexion smiled when he saw Aeleus' window open.

Axel smiled. "Go to him. I'm sure he's waiting." he said and put the car in park so the door would unlock.

Zexion got out of the car and leaned in the door. "I'll see you later...and thanks for taking me back here." He closed the door quietly and stared at the open window, no light coming from the inside.

Axel smiled and rolled down the window. "I want you home at a decent time tomorrow Zexion." he joked then pulled away.

Zexion blushed and jumped up to the window and slipped into Aeleus' room. He slowly approached the bed and as he suspected, the man was asleep. Unsure of what to do he pulled off his shoes and knelt beside the bed. "Aeleus..." He said quietly.

The man eyes fluttered open slowly and he turned to look at the boy. "Ienzo?"

Zexion nodded quickly. "I told you I'd be back." He smiled and placed a hand on the man's cheek.

Aeleus smiled and put a hand over Ienzo's. "I didn't think you meant tonight." he whispered and sat up and pulled to boy into the bed.

"Then why did you leave your window open?" Zexion's smile grew larger.

"Wishful thinking?" he said softly and cupped the boy's cheek with his hand.

The boy closed his eyes and let his hand fall to his lap. "I'm sorry I left so quickly earlier."

"It's alright, you didn't look well. Are you feeling better?" as Aeleus' eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room he realized that Ienzo no longer had his wings. "What happened to your wings?"

"I...put them away...and I am feeling much better now, thank you for asking." He still wasn't sure if telling him the truth would be a good idea yet.

"Do you like it? In heaven?" he asked softly and stroked Zexion's cheek with his thumb.

Zexion bit his lip, now realizing he would never get the chance to visit heaven and closed his eyes. "I...can't go there..." He whispered.

"Why can't you go to heaven?" he asked. "Is it because I kissed you?"

"No...no...I told you...I'm not what you think I am..." He bit his lip.

Aeleus stared at the boy. "What are you Ienzo?" he asked softly.

Zexion shook his head. "If I told you...you'd probably never want to see me again..."

"I could never not want to see you again." he said softly and pulled the boy's face closer.

"I'm a vampire..." He managed to say and put his hands on Aeleus' shoulder's. "I'm no angel..."

Aeleus let go of the boy and pulled away. "A vampire?" he shook his head. "So are you just here to kill me then?"

"N-no! I...no, Aeleus...I don't want to kill you..." Zexion bit his lip. "Please...don't..."

"Then why are you here, if not to kill me?" he asked and eyed the boy.

The young vampire took Aeleus' hands and bowed his head. "I...I think that you are very important...to me..."

"Important?" he tilted his head to the side, then lifted Zexion's head. "How important?"

"Extremely important, so much that I have to run from you, if it means keeping you safe." He looked him in the eyes.

"So you love me?" he asked and stared back into his eyes.

Zexion nodded. "I do...I can't explain it, but I know that if you were to die by me...I would never be able to forgive myself."

Aeleus smiled and ran his fingers through the boy's hair. "Can you say it? Say that you love me."

"I love you...Aeleus..." Zexion bit his lip. "I want to be close to you..."

Aeleus smiled and pulled the boy into his lap so that he was straddling his hips. "I think that I love you too."

Zexion slowly leaned forward and closed his eyes. "I want to try this again." He whispered against his lips.

Aeleus put a hand on the back of Zexion's neck and pulled him closer pressing their lips together. The boy wrapped his arms around the man's neck and deepened the kiss. Aeleus pushed his tongue into the boy's mouth and lowered them back onto the bed slowly. Zexion gently pushed back on the invading tongue and slid his hands to his shoulders as Aeleus flipped them over and pinned the boy to the bed, pulling out of the kiss.

The vampire looked at the man and blinked a few times. "That was...that was good." He told himself.

"It can be better." he said and ran a hand down Zexion's chest. "You're a beautiful boy Ienzo."

Zexion shook his head. "No...that's not my name anymore...Call me Zexion..." He breathed and licked his lips.

"Zexion..." he said testing the name then smiled. "I like that." he whispered and leaned down to kiss Zexion's neck.

The vampire bit his lip and looked to the ceiling to keep his mind off Aeleus' neck. "It's dangerous...being this close to you...I have to be careful." He whispered and wrapped his arms around the man.

"Dangerous? How?" he whispered and licked at the boy's neck.

"I could kill you if I slip up...I'm...I'm afraid." He whispered keeping his eyes skyward.

"You won't kill me." he said as he pulled away from Zexion's neck. "You could never do that."

Zexion shook his head. "I said I didn't want to...but one mistake and it's all over." He closed his eyes.

Aeleus smiled softly and caressed the teen face. "I'll be fine." he whispered.

"I sure hope so." Zexion whispered and pulled him closer. "I love you..."

"I love you too Zexion." he whispered and touched their lips together as one of his hands moved down Zexion's body.

"Mmm..." He let his hands travel down Aeleus' sides and lifted one of his legs slowly.

"How far are you ready to go?" he whispered and ran a hand over the vampire crotch.

Zexion bucked his hips and dug his nails into Aeleus' arms and bit his lip. "To be safe...not very..."

Aeleus smiled and unbuttoned the boy's pants. "Then we won't go that far." he said softly.

Zexion tilted his head back and took a deep breath. He gripped Aeleus' shoulder and pulled him close. "I want you...with me always." He whispered.

"I'll always be here." he whispered and pushed his hand into the boy's pants. The vampire closed his eyes and let out a small whimper, letting go of his lover's shoulder.

Aeleus smiled and stroked the boy's growing length. "How's that feel?"

"F-feel's good..." He twisted slightly and raise a hand to grab a fistful of pillow.

Aeleus sat up and stared down at the boy under him. He licked his lips and pushed Zexion's pants down off his hips. Zexion tugged on the pillow and bit his lip, figuring out what the human had in mind.

Aeleus took the boy's member into his hand and started to stroke it slowly.

"Ae-Aeleus..." Zexion whispered in want as he leaned into the touch.

Aeleus smiled and moved his hand a little faster. "Do you want more than this?"

"Y-yes..." Zexion bit his lip as he reached for Aeleus' neck.

Aeleus grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "You can't have that." he whispered and leaned down to press a quick kiss to Zexion's lips. "But I can use my mouth, if you want that."

The boy blushed and looked away. "O-ok..." He licked his lips and looked back to the brunet. "I-If you want to..."

"Zexion...tell me what you want." Aeleus kissed down to the boy's chest and took a pink nipple into his mouth and swirled his tongue around it.

"I-I...I want so much...but I'm not ready..." He whimpered under the man and put his hands on his shoulders.

Aeleus pulled away from the pale chest and smiled down at him. "We don't have to go that far tonight." he whispered and move his hand a little faster and moved over to the neglected nipple.

"Mm! Aeleus..." Zexion moaned and dug his nails into the human's back.

Aeleus smiled around the hardening nub and bit down gently has his hand moved faster.

"Aeleus...I..." Zexion tugged on the man's hair. "Want a kiss..." he mumbled out.

The man pulled away from Zexion's chest and smiled down at him. "You can have all the kisses you want." he breathed and pressed their lips together gently.

The boy licked his lover's lips and moved his hips with Aeleus' hand. Aeleus smiled into the kiss then opens his mouth and pushed his tongue against Zexion's lips. Zexion moaned loudly into the kiss feeling his release and held on to his neck, preventing the other from moving away. Aeleus moved his hand to the head of Zexion's erection and ran his thumb over the head slowly. The boy bucked his hips and pushed back on Aeleus' tongue and whined a bit before he finally let go, pulling out of the kiss and giving a girlish moan as he came.

Aeleus smiled and sat up to look at the mess Zexion had made on both of their chests. "You make the cutest sounds..."

The vampire bit his lip and closed his eyes, just soaking up the moment. "I love you, Aeleus..." He whispered quietly.

"I love you too Zexion." he said removing the boy's pants from his legs. "Go to sleep."

Zexion reached to pull Aeleus closer and held on to his arm, unwilling to let go.

Aeleus chuckled and patted the boy's hand. "Come on... I'm not going anywhere." He dropped the pants on the side of the bed and laid down next to him.

Zexion looked away, wishing that he could have more, even though he knew he wasn't ready. He let go of Aeleus' arm and moved it to the older man's face. "I'm...happy, for once." He said slowly and looked into his eyes.

"You're happy? Weren't you happy before?" he asked and caressed the boy's face. He pulled the sheets up with his other hand then pulled Zexion closer, putting an arm around the boy's waist..

"No...I don't think I was ever...happy when I was still human..." Zexion leaned his head on his chest and closed his eyes.

Aeleus wrapped his arms around Zexion and ran a hand up and down Zexion's back. "I'm glad that I can make you happy."

"Mmm..." He arched his back slightly, enjoying the touch and pressed himself closer to his lover.

The human smiled and kissed the top of Zexion's head. "Goodnight Zexion."

"Goodnight...Aeleus..." The boy murmured and licked his lips. He wasn't sure if it would still be safe by the time he woke up...but right then it didn't matter to him.


	6. Breakdowns and Hookups

Everyone relax. This is a reload. I noticed it had a lot of typos and mistakes in it so I fixed them. more chapters will be up later today and through out the day. And they are long... So enjoy!

And I went ahead and re-formated it so it's easier to read. Sorry for that!

Chapter 6

Axel dropped his cigarette on the ground and stomped it out as he walked into Namine's apartment building. Braig was still on his mind, and so was Reno. He had been holding it in since he saw the illusion of his dead lover and he was about to break.

He walked into the apartment building and stopped at Namine's door, then knocked.

Namine was watching her TV and leaning on the wasted addict she picked up for the night, saving him for later until she got hungry again. She turned when she heard the knock and got up slowly from the couch and opened the door to see her sire. "Axel?" She tilted her head to the side and glanced back to the man on her couch, then back to the red-head. "What's up?"

"I need you to watch over me for a while." he said and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'm about to have a breakdown..."

"Oh..." She turned and left the door wide open. "Are you hungry?" The blonde vampire raised the half-awake man's arm.

"No... It's not that Nam. Zexion tested his power on me the other day... I... I saw Reno." he said and placed a hand on the wall to steady himself as he walked into the apartment. "I'm going to use the spare room..."

"Reno? What do you mean? Do you want to talk about it? I can kick this guy, if you want..." She turned off the TV.

"Zexion can pull out a person's worst fear, or nightmare and make it real. Well an illusion.. and I saw Reno." his heart throbbed every time the name was said.

Namine got up from the couch and pulled Axel close in an embrace. "Aw, Axel...I'm sorry..."

"Nam the bedroom please I need to lay down for a bit. I'm going to need paper and a something with some water. I'm going to want to burn later. And I know you'd rather I not burn myself."

The girl nodded and let go of her sire and headed off to get what Axel wanted. "How much do you want?" She asked as she went to her room.

"As much as you can get. Old newspaper is fine." he said and stumbled down the hall and into a spare bedroom.

Namine walked into the bedroom with a recycling bin full of old papers, some random doodles were in the mix and she set it beside the bed. "So where is the kid, anyway?"

"At the man's house that he spilt the food on. Potential mate, remember?" he said and fell onto the bed curling up.

"You're leaving him alone with him?" Namine frowned. "He couldn't stand to be near him four hours ago..."

"Zexion can handle himself. He won't hurt the man that he loves." he said and closed his eyes as tears started to pool in the corners of his eyes.

The girl nodded wearily and left to get some water and a bucket. "You want me to stay with you or...?"

"You can do whatever you want Nam. I don't want to bother you anymore than I already have."

"Axel..." She dropped the bucket beside the recycling bin and had a few water bottles in her arms. "You aren't bothering me..."

Axel looked up at the girl and smiled. "You're such a sweet girl Namine. I want to be by myself for a little while though."

"Mmk..." She placed the bottles with the rest of the items and put her hand on the doorknob. "Call me if you need me." She whispered before closing the door.

"Alright, thanks Nam." he said and curled up even tighter as his heart started to ache more than usual and he let the tears come.

Namine sat back on the couch while turning the TV back on. She turned the volume down low and sighed.

Axel laid back in the bed and clung to the pillow as he soaked it with tears. He opened his eyes and saw the papers that Namine had brought him. He sat up grabbed a news paper from a week ago and torched it, the light of the fire reflecting on his face.

A blond boy lay in his bed twisting and turning as tears leaked from his closed eyes. "Lux... Luxord..." he murmured and reached a hand out. His eyes shot open and he screamed. "LUXORD!"

Xaldin jumped when he heard the scream and rushed to the boy's room slamming the open the door and looked around the room warily, for any hunters. When he saw tat the room was safe he went over to the bed and turned the boy's face so that he staring into his eyes. "Demyx? What's wrong?" He asked, worried.

Demyx stared up at the man and he started to hiccup. "My brother! Where's my brother?" he asked as tears streamed down his face.

"Demyx, he's fine...he just went out for a bit." Xaldin wiped tears from the dirty blond's face.

"Please I want my brother can you tell him to come back?" he whispered and clung to the other vampire.

The violet-eyed man dug in his pocket for his cell-phone and quickly texted the other vampire to come back. "What happened, Demyx?" He sat on the edge of the bed.

"I just had this horrible dream." he moved up so his back was against his pillows and he pulled his knees to his chest. "That big brother was being killed..."

"Demyx...we're hard enough to kill and with your brother's power...I'd think that he's extremely hard to kill." Xaldin spoke in a soft voice and turned to look at the boy. "You don't have to worry."

"Big brother can't stop time forever..." he whispered and buried his head in his knees.

Another blond man ran into the room. "Demyx…! Did you have another bad dream?" he asked and moved quickly over to the bed and sat down next to the boy.

Xaldin pushed off the bed and crossed his arms. "He dreamed that you were being killed." He said in that soft tone of his.

Demyx looked up and jumped into his brother's arms and buried his face into Luxord's chest. "Demyx, no hunter is getting anywhere near us ok? Not if I have anything to say about it." he said softly and ran his fingers through Demyx's hair.

'Are you speaking the truth, Luxord?' Xaldin stared at the platinum blond and leaned against the door frame.

Demyx looked up at his brother and smiled. "I know I just get so scared when I have these dreams."

Luxord smiled, ignoring Xaldin's voice in his head, and laid Demyx back down. "Now go back to sleep."

"Like I said, Demyx...don't worry, it's only a dream." Xaldin sighed and left the room, he already felt jumpy enough-these false alarms weren't helping.

Luxord smiled down at his brother and left the room. "Hey…" he walked up behind Xaldin and put his arms around his waist pulling Xaldin's back to his chest. "Relax, love."

"You didn't answer my question..." Xaldin felt that he couldn't relax in his lover's arms.

"I don't like talking about the hunters in front of Demyx." he said and kissed the side of Xaldin's neck then released him. "I'm doing everything that I can to throw them off of finding us."

"How close...are they, Luxord, I'm tired of waiting like this..." Xaldin turned. "Every time Demyx wakes from a bad dream...every loud noise."

"It's hard to tell. Several hundred miles maybe a few thousand. I'm not sure. It's hard to track them, they hide their scent well." he said and caressed Xaldin cheek with a sigh. "Don't worry Xaldin. I'll protect you."

"I'm not worried about me..." He placed his hands on Luxord's shoulders. "I'm beginning to worry about what would happen if your one second too late."

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you or Demyx. Besides... I'm never late. I control time itself." he said and ran a finger down the other vampire's neck.

Xaldin closed his eyes and leaned to the touch. "That's what I keep telling myself..." He whispered.

"I would be devastated if anything were to ever happen to either of you. Especially you Xaldin..." he whispered and moved closer to the black haired man to kiss his neck.

"I might have...made a mistake today..." He murmured and took a few steps back, pulling Luxord with him.

"Made a mistake?" he followed his lover and continued to kiss down his neck slowly. "What kind of mistake?"

"I told Namine...about Braig..." He fell back onto the couch he was occupying moments ago.

The blond vampire straddle his hips and ran a hand down his sides, then pulled back. "And? We can use all the help we can get... wait... she must have told Axel..."

Xaldin nodded slightly. "Thus my mistake...I told her not to say anything..." Xaldin closed his eyes.

Luxord sighed and rolled off of Xaldin and sat next to him. "It's no mistakes of yours. Axel was going to find out sooner or later." he said and rested a hand on Xaldin's.

"I'm guessing that since he's not here the new one managed to stop him, Namine wouldn't..." The dred-locked man interlocked his fingers with the blond.

"The new one? Did Axel sire another?" Luxord asked and stroked Xaldin's hand with his thumb.

"No. You know Axel would never sire another unless he was forced to. Not since after Reno..." Xaldin leaned on the blond.

Luxord nodded. "Yeah good point. So how does he have another?"

"Something about him running out of the morgue and biting him..." Xaldin shrugged.

Luxord chuckled. "I'm going to have to hear this whole story sometime. What the new recruit look like, and what's his name?"

"He's a bit younger than Demyx...short...quiet, and if you put him in a dress you'd have no idea he was a boy." The younger vampire sighed.

"Oh... A real cutie huh?" he chuckled and ran a hand up Xaldin's arm. "But nothing compared to you I'm sure."

Xaldin chuckled, loosening up a bit. "No where close." He looked up at Luxord.

"Even more so when your naked and under me." he whispered and pushed the vampire down onto the couch, and straddled his legs.

"Hmm, that's right, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Xaldin now broke out into a grin.

"It has. You've been so stressed and worried, I didn't want to bother you with it." he whispered and ran his fingers up Xaldin's chest.

"Luxord, you know it's no bother..." Xaldin pulled his lover close and whispered into his ear. "Just because I don't make the first move...doesn't mean I don't want it."

Luxord smirked and moved his head to nip at the uke's ear. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind." he said before moving down to his neck and nipping at the pale skin.

Xaldin gasped softly and wrapped his legs around Luxord's hips. "I want it..." He whispered.

"What do you want? My bite?" he breathed and ran his nails down the other side of Xaldin's neck.

"That's exactly what I want." He twisted his head away, into the seme's hand.

Luxord smirked and let out a little chuckled before nipping at Xaldin's neck again. "You have to earn it, love." he whispered and ran his hand down Xaldin's chest to his crotch.

Xaldin whined and grinded his hips in protest. "Luxy..." He gripped the other man's hips.

Luxord moaned and sat up to look down at his lover. "I love it when you whimper like that." he whispered and popped open the first button on his shirt.

Xaldin held a slight pout on his face and started to pull off his own shirt, as quickly as possible.

"You know... we shouldn't be doing this on the couch, what if Dem wakes up and sees us?" Luxord smirked and pulled away from the younger vampire and stood up.

With a growl of annoyance he tossed his shirt away and sat up on the couch. "You just want to make me wait as long as possible..."

"It's called foreplay love. It's makes the waiting worth it." he whispered and winked as he started to unbutton the rest of his shirt.

Xaldin pushed his lover down the hall and into their bedroom. "You know how I feel about waiting he closed the door behind him and wrapped his arms around Luxord's neck.

Luxord chuckled and ran his nails down Xaldin's chest. "And you know how I love to tease you." he whispered and turned them around. He moved them over to the bed and pushed Xaldin down. "Now sit and be a good boy and I'll give you a reward."

Xaldin closed his eyes and let himself slow down. "I'll be good, I promise."

Luxord smirked and gave the black haired vampire a quick kiss. "Good boy." he stood up and slowly removed his shirt.

Xaldin cracked open an eye to watch his lover and bit his lip as he waited. The older vampire chuckled and moved his hips as he unfastened his pants. Xaldin whined quietly but kept his hands to himself as he licked his lips. Luxord smirked and chuckled as he stepped closer to Xaldin and pushed down his pants. The younger vampire gritted his teeth in impatience and looked up at Luxord, still curious of what he had to do to get the other vampire's bite.

Luxord grabbed Xaldin's hands and placed them on his hips. "You're being very patient..."

"No...no, not really..." Xaldin pulled his lover closer and rubbed his thumbs on his hipbone.

Luxord smirked and leaned down. "But at least you didn't jump me, like last time." he whispered and ran his fingers over Xaldin's neck.

"Hmm..." Xaldin closed his eyes. "I like surprising you..."

Luxord chuckled and kissed Xaldin's neck. "I suppose you've been good enough to deserve this..." he whispered.

The pale man pulled Luxord closer and wrapped his legs around his waist, brushing his finger up his side and nipped at the earrings on his lover's ear.

Luxord smirked and kicked off his pants as he lowered them back onto the bed and bit into his lovers neck.

"Eah!" Xaldin wrapped his arms around Luxord's shoulder's and closed his eyes, grinding his hips into the other in a sudden jerk of pleasure.

Luxord moaned quietly as Xaldin's blood rushed into his mouth and he pressed his hips down into his lovers. The violet-eyed man quickly slipped his hands down to take off his own pants, struggling to just get them off his hips.

The blond smirked and sucked one last mouthful of his lovers blood into his mouth. "Happy now?"

Xaldin nodded and turned Luxord's face to his own and kissed him roughly to answer him. Luxord moaned into the kiss and cupped Xaldin's face in his hand to deepen the kiss. The black haired man licked at his lover's lips and pushed at his pants until they finally came down.

Luxord smiled and pulled out of the kiss. "You look so cute right now."

"Hmm..." Xaldin smiled and traced a nail down Luxord's spine. "And you are as handsome as ever."

Luxord arched his back and smirked down at the uke. "I take it you want more than my bite." he teased.

"Maybe...I'm not sure what I like more..." He traced small patterns on his back.

Luxord smiled and ran a finger over the healing bit mark on Xaldin's neck. "The sex or my bite... hmm... that is a hard one."

"I think I'll lean toward the former, this time." Xaldin smiled and licked his lips. "Or I could be a little greedy, tonight..."

"I would think that both of them together would be the best for you." he whispered and ran his hand down Xaldin's chest. "I won't make you choose."

Xaldin chuckled. "Well then...let's have it, then." He raked his fingernails up Luxord's back playfully.

Luxord let out a small gasp of pleasure then lifted Xaldin's legs. "Gentle or rough tonight love?"

The younger vampire pursed his lips in thought for hardly a second. "Rough." He answered with a smile.

Luxord smirked and shifted Xaldin's legs before pushing into him. He leaned over the other vampire and licked at his neck.

Xaldin arched his back with a moan and tilted his head back. "Luxord..."

Luxord chuckled and ran his fingers over the black haired vampire's nipple. "Feel good?"

"Mmm..." He wrapped his arms around the blond's neck and pulled him closer. "Always does..."

Luxord wrapped Xaldin's legs around his waist and started to thrust into his uke. Xaldin nipped at Luxord's earrings and moved his hips with his lover's. Luxord moaned and tilted his head to the side to give Xaldin better access to his ear. The black-haired man licked at the earrings and brushed his teeth against his the small pieces of metal.

"Mmm." Luxord moaned and grabbed Xaldin's waist and started to move his hips faster

Xaldin nipped at his earlobe again before kissing behind the ear and moaned quietly. Luxord put his lovers' legs over his shoulders and moved his head so that he could bit into Xaldin's neck again.

"I love you, Luxord..." He whispered and ran his fingers through the short blond hair.

Luxord moaned and dug his nails into Xaldin's hips and pushed his fangs deeper into his neck. Xaldin moaned loudly and closed his eyes tilting his head away to provide more room. Luxord swallowed a mouthful of Xaldin's blood then pulled away and licked at the wound and he pushed into Xaldin harder.

"Luxy..." Xaldin whined and arched his back, moving his hands down his lover's chest.

The blond chuckled and moved his head up to look into Xaldin's eyes. "I love you too Xaldin." he whispered and pressed their lips together as he thrust into him roughly.

Xaldin nipped at his lips and brushed his fingers across the others nipples. Luxord moaned into the kiss and pushed his tongue into Xaldin's mouth. He moved his hand down between their bodies and took Xaldin's length in his hand. Xaldin moaned into the kiss and pushed back on the invading tongue roughly, resisting the urge to bite.

Luxord moved his hand faster as he pushed into Xaldin faster. He nipped at Xaldin's tongue and smirked into the kiss. Xaldin pulled out of the kiss unable to handle it and bit into Luxord's neck.

"Hnn!" Luxord grunted and arched his back, then moaned. "Fuck Xaldin..."

_'Sorry...'_ The younger vampire sucked his lovers blood and moaned.

Luxord wove the fingers of one hand into the black dreds to hold his head in place. "No... It's good. Keep going."

The younger vampire dug his fangs deeper and drank greedily from his lover. Luxord moaned loudly and moved the hand on Xaldin's erection faster. Xaldin swallowed and moaned as he released in Luxord's hand. Luxord moaned as he released inside of Xaldin. He put his hand on the bed to steady himself and continued to hold Xaldin's head to his neck so his lover could feed. The younger vampire sucked more blood and pulled away to lick at the wound after swallowing.

Luxord lowered his lovers legs and smiled. "Did you have enough?" he asked while pulling out of his lover.

Xaldin kissed his neck and closed his eyes. "I don't want to take too much..." He whispered.

"I'm a strong boy Xal. I can handle it." he whispered and laid down next to the younger vampire.

"I know...but still..." He licked his lips. "I want you to be as healthy as possible...in case something happens."

Xaldin smiled and rolled over to kiss his lover. "I'll be fine love. You need to be healthy too."

"I'm fine, Luxord. Don't worry about me." Xaldin kissed him back.

"I always worry about you love." he said softly. "I always have and I always will."

"Hm. You worry too much then." He smiled and hugged on to the other man.

Luxord smiled and pulled his lover closer. "Go to sleep love. You need your rest." he whispered and pulled the sheets up.

Xaldin closed his eyes and nuzzled Luxord's chest. "I'll see you when I wake up...right?"

"Where else would I be love?" he whispered and kissed the top of Xaldin's head.

The younger vampire yawned and shrugged. "No where..." He smiled and hugged Luxord closer.

Luxord smiled and wove his fingers into the dred locks. "I love you Xaldin."

"I love you more..." The black-haired man mumbled before falling asleep.

"That's not possible..." he breathed before he closed his eyes.


	7. You Can't Use a Dead Boy's Phone!

Chapter 7

Zexion heard possibly the most familiar annoying thing he woke up to every morning. An alarm clock. The boy simply groaned and moved the pillow he was sleeping on and held it over his head, hoping his brother wouldn't come into his room to tear the bed sheets off of him and tell him to get ready for school.

Aeleus reached over to the side table and turned off the alarm clock, cursing the headache that welcomed him into the new day.

The boy smiled when he heard the alarm turn off and let go of the pillow. He relaxed and pushed himself up in a stretch and yawned, before flopping back on the bed. If he didn't have to wake up, he wasn't going to try to.

Aeleus sat up, holding his head and groaned. He looked over at the other side of the bed feeling movement. His eyes widened when he saw a young boy laying in his bed. "Oh God what did I do?" he breathed.

"Mm?" Zexion felt hat strange tickle in is stomach as he took a breath of Aeleus' sheets and remembered...he wasn't in his room and he never would be. He turned in the bed and smiled at the man. "Morning..."

Aeleus stood up quickly and stared down at the boy and gulped. What exactly had he done last night. "I'm sorry but, what are you doing in my bed?"

Zexion felt hurt and he rubbed sleep from his eyes. "Aeleus...? What do you mean?" He sat up in the bed. "What's wrong?"

"Look I don't really remember much of last night. I drank too much and now I just want to know why I woke up with a young boy in my bed." he said and ran his hands through his hair.

The young vampire's eyes widened and he blushed. "Ah...uh...Y-you don't remember anything?" This was not what he expected the morning to be like.

Aeleus' eyes widened at the boy's blush. "Oh God what did I do?" he turned from the boy and walked over to his dresser.

Zexion bit his lip and looked down at the bed sheets. "You... Aeleus...it's me...Zexion-please tell me you remember at least...something from last night..." He said quietly and felt like crying.

The name seemed to click in the back of his mind and he looked back at the boy. His heart ached when he saw the look on the boy's face. "Zexion..." he walked back over to the bed and sat down.

The boy nodded and looked up. "Yes...you don't remember anything from last night...do you?" He gripped his wrist and closed his eyes.

"A few blurs but I'm sure that it'll come back." he said softly. "Try to remind me?" he said as he touched the boy's hand.

Zexion suddenly wouldn't look him directly in the eye. "We talked for a bit...and I told you some very important things..."

Aeleus thought for a moment then lifted his hand with a gasp then put his hand back on Zexion's. "You... you're a vampire..."

"Yeah.." Zexion turned to look away. "I didn't think you were drunk...You did take that a bit...well..."

"We did something else... didn't we?" he asked and turned Zexion's head back towards him.

The vampire simply nodded and bit his lip. "That probably means nothing now..."

Aeleus caressed the boy's cheek. "I'm sorry I don't remember much..."

"I shouldn't have come back..." He pulled away. "I shouldn't have let myself get so worked up..." Zexion closed his eyes. "Where are my pants?"

Aeleus grabbed the boy's wrist and tilted his head back up. "Zexion... it'll come back to me. I'll remember."

Zexion twisted his hand from the man's grip and bit his lip. "I need to go..." He whispered, keeping eye contact with him.

Aeleus stared into the boy's eyes searching for what might have happened last night. He pulled Zexion closer and touched their lips together.

The boy kissed him back and closed his eyes, happy that he man's body seemed to remember well enough.

Aeleus easily pulled Zexion into his lap and put an arm around his waist as he deepened the kiss.

The vampire wrapped his arms around Aeleus' neck and pulled himself closer.

Aeleus pulled away from the teen and caressed his cheek. "How old are you?"

Zexion let out a short laugh. "I'm fifteen." He pushed a hand though some of the man's messy curls.

Aeleus' eyes widened. "Oh my... You're rather young aren't you..." he muttered and brushed some hair out of Zexion's face

"Age is sort of irrelevant..." Zexion whispered and closed his eyes. "You don't seem to mind that much, though..."

"Well if work ever found out I was...with a minor I'd be in pretty big trouble." he said softly. "But you seem to be pretty attached to me."

"You have no idea..." The teen sighed. "And your work will never find out about me." He whispered.

Aeleus wove his fingers into the boy's hair. "Would you please tell me what happened that night?"

"I told you that I loved you...and then we..." Zexion trailed off. "I'd rather you remember than I tell you what exactly happened last night." He smiled. "I am missing my clothing after all."

Aeleus blushed slightly then coughed and helped Zexion off of his lap and sat him on the bed. "Right well I'm sure I'll remember soon. Would you like some breakfast? Are you hungry?"

Zexion sucked in his lips and shook his head quickly. "Please...don't ask me if I'm hungry..."

"Why?" he looked down at the boy. "Do you feel sick?" he asked and felt his forehead.

"Aeleus...I'm a vampire...Breakfast just isn't going to cut it.." He said quietly.

"So... you need... blood?" he asked and took back his hand.

The teen looked away. "Just don't...ask me about it, ok?"

"Alright. I'm sorry. Do you need me to drive you home or... where are you staying?"

"No...don't be sorry...I just..." He trailed off and got off the bed in search of his pants. "I'll just walk back to my place. It's no problem..."

"Please let me drive you. I can't let you walk back by yourself." he said grabbing Zexion's arm.

"Aeleus...I...I'm hungry..." He muttered and stared at the man's hand then followed a thin blue vein that traveled up his arm.

Aeleus followed his line of sight and bit his lip. "Do you want... my blood?" he asked holding out his wrist.

Zexion's eyes widened and he took a step back, covering his mouth with his free hand. "Aeleus...let go of me and let me leave..." His voice wavered a bit.

Aeleus let go of the boy and took back his wrist. "Is it that painful to be around me?" he asked with a frown.

Zexion turned and pulled on his pants quickly. "Painful?" The teen let out another short laugh. "No...not painful...uncomfortable, yes...dangerous for you..." He said as he pulled his shirt over his head. "Not painful..."

Aeleus sighed and sat down. "I don't feel right letting you walk home alone."

"I'll be fine." Zexion looked to the window. "Is it fine if I just...leave through your door, rather than your window?"

"Oh... yeah sure." he said and walked over to his bedroom door. "I'll show you out."

Zexion kept his distance from the human and rubbed the scar on his wrist. "When would you like me to come back?"

'I'd like you to stay.' "Um... Whenever it's good for you I suppose." he said and led Zexion down the stairs.

"My friend wants me back by a certain time...and I might have to work later...so I guess I'll just come when I can." The vampire bit his lip. "Or...I could call you?" He stopped by the door.

Aeleus stopped at the front door and looked back at the boy. "So you want my phone number?"

"Yeah, I guess that's what I'm looking for..." Zexion sucked on his lower lip the tickle in his stomach slowly clawing.

Aeleus went over to a small table and grabbed a pen and a pad of paper. He scribbled down his number then handed the piece of paper to Zexion.

"Thanks." He took the paper from him and stared at the piece of paper. "I'll see you later, then." Zexion passed by Aeleus and gently placed his hand on the older man's chest. "Don't worry about me."

Aeleus grabbed the boy's hand and leaned down to kiss him. "Be careful." he said before their lips met.

Zexion kissed him back and pulled away before he had a chance to do anything else. "I will..." He whispered and began to head his way back to Axel's apartment and fiddled with the piece of paper Aeleus had given him. He knew he had to hold off from eating until he got back to Axel's and gripped his stomach as another pang of hunger hit him.

*************************************************************

Axel frowned when the door to the bedroom opened and he pulled the blankets tighter around himself.

Namine leaned on the door frame. "Are you feeling any better, Ax?"

Axel groan and buried his head in the pillow, tears threatening to fall again.

The blonde girl sat on the edge of the bed and looked out the window. "Ten years is a long time..."

"Ten years, 5 months, 1 week, and 3 days." he muttered and tears slipped from his eyes.

Namine got off the bed and knelled in front of him and wiped his face of tears with her thumb. "Hey..."

Axel looked at his fledgling and sniffled. "Nam... you don't understand the pain..."

"I know that...but...you can't keep doing this over and over again..." She bit her lip. "I hate it when you get like this..."

"I can't help it Nam. You know I can't... He meant the world to me..." he whispered and put his head back in the pillow.

"And he kept you safe so that you could continue your life." She sighed. "What would he think of you if he found you like this?"

"He can't find me like this... he's dead..." he muttered and held back a sob.

Namine stood up with a huff of exasperation. "Are you hungry?" She asked with a sudden topic change.

Axel shook his head and pulled the blankets over his head. "No..."

"Fine." She walked back out of the room and there was a sudden grunt of mumbled pain.

Namine walked out into the living room and frowned when she saw that her dinner from the previous night had woken up.

"Ohhhh..." The addict held his head in pain and looked up, he felt like he was on fire but he figured it was just from a bad trip.

"Oh no... I didn't mean for you to wake up. I should finish you off quick before you feel too much pain." she said and walked over to the man.

He tilted his head back and looked to Namine. "...what?" He looked utterly confused and extremely uncomfortable as he pulled at his jacket.

Namine sat down next to him and smiled. "Come here. I'll ease your suffering." she said.

"What're...you gonna do?" He turned slightly and the movement seemed like a lot of work.

"Oh... nothing." she giggled and pulled the man closer. "Just have another little nibble."

"Mmmn..." The man had landed his face happily into Namine's chest and closed his eyes.

Namine smirked and leaned down to bit into the man neck violently.

"Uhn!" The man tried to pull away but his body wasn't obeying any of his commands.

Namine gulped as she finished off the man and dropped his body to the floor.

"Namine..." Axel stumbled out of the bedroom and into the living room. "I need to get back to my apartment. Zexion might be there wondering where I'm at."

"You want me to help you back?" She stood up and stepped over the body.

"Yeah. I'll come by later to take care of that by the way." he said motioning to the body.

Namine nodded and headed to her door. "Alright. You sure it's safe to have him run around like that? I mean...he knows more about waiting tables than he does a vampire..."

"He'll be fine just help me back." he said and straightened up trying not to use the wall as a support.

Namine held onto as Axel began to list to the side. "Alright, but you're going to have to train him eventually and by the looks of it...you don't seem up to it..." She said quietly as she took the first step down the stairwell.

"I'll be fine." he said and walked carefully down the stairs.

"That's what you always say...but this is the worst breakdown you've had in years..." Namine bit her lip.

"That's because I actually saw him this time. He spoke to me and he..." he frowned and shook his head. "Let's not talk about this anymore."

Namine bit her lip and nodded. "Ok...I understand." Axel's phone began to vibrate.

Axel pulled out his phone and flipped it open. "What is it?" he asked into the phone.

For a moment Zexion didn't reply, feeling like now wasn't the best time to chat. "U-uh...Hey, Axel, it's Zexion...I just left Aeleus', place… and I'm headed back to the apartment...I was just...checking in..."

"Oh… alright. Wait what phone are you using?" he asked and stopped walking.

"...Mine...why?" Zexion stopped at a crosswalk and fiddled with the edge of his shirt.

"You're supposed to be dead! You can't be using you're phone!" he snapped.

Zexion jumped slightly. "O-oh! S-sorry, Axel." He bit his lip. Namine looked to her sire with a frown.

"Just come home and we'll get you a new phone and go get your clothes." he said and sighed.

"O-ok..." Zexion closed his phone and bit his lip.  
"You know...you didn't have to yell at him like that, he doesn't know these things." Namine pushed open the door to her complex so they could leave.

Axel shut his phone and put it in his pocket. "Yeah well how else is he going to learn?"

"Don't take it out on him, he's just a kid..."Namine looked for Axel's car. "Did you walk here?"

"Yeah. I'm just down the street Nam. I think I can handle it now. I need to get back to normal anyway. Thanks for the help." he said and stepped away from her.

"Alright." Namine backed to her door. "Just don't yell at him unless he deserves it..."

"Yeah yeah..." he muttered and pulled out his pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

Namine turned back into her apartment after she watched Axel slowly leave and shook her head.

*************************************************************

Zexion was almost to the other side of the crosswalk when a blond boy clipped him as he ran by, causing him to drop his phone. " 'Scuse me." The blue-eyed boy apologized and continued to run down the sidewalk. Zexion sighed and bent down to pick it up.

Another meaner looking blond ran after the first boy and ran into Zexion causing him to fall over. "Watch it!"

"S-Sorry, I just-" He shoved his phone into his pocket and held out his hand to help the other boy up. "You ok?"

The blond glared at the vampire, pushed his hand away and stood up, the dagger in his hand glistening.

Zexion backed away onto the sidewalk quickly with his hands in defense. "I said I was sorry! Y-You ran into me!" The boy further down the sidewalk slowed down to look behind him.

The mean boy sniffed then tensed as he looked at Zexion. He raised his dagger and took a swing at the darker haired boy. "Die!"

"Ah!" Zexion stumbled back and fell on the ground. The other boy's shoulders slumped in annoyance and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Oi, Seifer! Aren't you chasin' me?" He shouted down the walk, his voice thick with a British accent.

The hunter looked over at the voice quickly the frowned, thinking about what to do.

Zexion quickly got up and ran away from the mean boy who was called Seifer. "I'm waaaaiitiiiing." He heard the other boy shout.

Seifer glared at the boy who was running away. "You're lucky." he muttered then took of after the blond boy down the street.

Zexion turned into an alley and held his chest to check if he was bleeding. Thankfully the only damage that had been done was to his shirt. 'Is this just a bad part of town or did I just run into a hunter...?' He thought to himself and reached for his phone to call Axel but stopped when he remembered the other vampire's reaction. Zexion gritted his teeth when his stomach growled at him, begging for blood, and decided that he should just run the rest of the way back to the apartment, giving the route he had thought of using a wide detour.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Axel was waiting for Zexion back at the apartment. He was in one of the extra bedrooms making a bed up for the younger vampire.

The teen pushed into the apartment and held his hand over the spot where Seifer had nicked him. He closed the door behind him and slid down to the floor, eyes wide and he felt like adrenaline was still running through him from the encounter.

Axel rushed into the living room and stared at the boy. "What the hell happened to you?"

Zexion looked up and wasn't sure if he was getting scolded or not. "I...someone attacked me while I was on my way here..."

"Attacked you?" he hurried to the boy's side and helped him up. "Like a hunter?"

"Maybe...He was chasing after a blond guy...about my age...He ran into me and the next thing I know he's swinging a knife at me..." Zexion ran a hand through his hair. "I'm fine, He only gave me a scratch...but I was so worried...I didn't feed..."

Axel helped the boy into the kitchen and sat him down in a chair. "Can you give me a description?"

"Of...the hunter or the guy he was chasing?" Zexion rubbed his chest and closed his eyes. "I can do you one better actually..." He thought of Seifer and the other teen and opened his eyes to see them standing side by side. "The one on the left...That's the one that attacked me." The other teen's face was shrouded. "I didn't really get a good look at the one running away."

"Well the hunter is bad news. He's a scout for a group of powerful hunters. This means that they're closer then we thought." he said and looked at the other boy. "No idea who that is... probably another vampire. We should try to find him if we can."

Zexion bit his lip as a headache started to come and dropped the illusions. "He had a bit of an accent...like he was from overseas, somewhere...Can we feed? I'm so hungry..."

"Just sit tight." he said and walked over to the fridge. "I'll feed you." he said and pulled a bag of blood out of the fridge. "Want a straw?"

"I don't care..." Zexion held his hand out as he leaned forward, the other hand holding his head. "Do you get headaches whenever you use your fire?"

Axel chuckled and put the bag into Zexion's hand. "Not really, but I'm older. You'll grow out of it." he said and sat down.

"I hope so..." Zexion poked a hole into the bag and tilted it so that the blood would just flow into his mouth.

Axel smiled at the boy and rested his chin in his hand and crossed his legs. "So how did last night go?"

The young vampire pulled the bag away and shrugged. "I thought it went well...but he can only remember bits and pieces of what happened last night..."

"Why's that?" he asked and held his hand out for the empty bag.

"He was wasted..." Zexion blushed and handed the bag back to Axel. "This morning he offered me his blood..."

"Oh wow... You... you didn't bite him did you?" he said and got up to throw the bag away.

"No! I just kept my distance as much as he would let me and left as soon as possible..." Zexion rubbed his scarred wrist. "I want it so bad...if he offers it again..."

"No." Axel snapped and turned to look at the boy. "No biting. Or maybe you want him to die?"

The teen shook his head. "Of course not..." He mumbled. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Feed before you over there." he said. "I want to show you something."

"That isn't good enough...he wanted me to stay but I had to leave..." Zexion stood up and put his hands on his hips. "What...?"

"Just come with me ok?" he said and walked out of the kitchen and into the bedroom he was working on before Zexion got home

The younger vampire looked into the room with a slightly confused look. "What's this?" He looked from the bed to Axel, and then around the room.

"It's your room." he said leaning on the door frame. "Now that you have a mate I didn't think that you would like to sleep with me anymore. Do you like it?"

"Oh! Oh yeah, it's nice." Zexion bit his lip at the word mate. "I like it..."

"You sure we can change something's if you want to." he said and walked over to the boy.

"Axel...is there any specific way to change a human into one of us?" Zexion asked suddenly, thinking on the subject of changing things.

"You have to drain them and give them your blood. It's nothing too complicated." he said. "But of course they have to asked to be changed. And they have to mean it." he said. "You must remember that."

"So there's no specific spot, I don't have to take from the wrist?" Zexion sat down on his new bed.

"Nope. But remember..." he walked over to Zexion and tapped his arm. "It'll leave a scar."

"So where's yours at?" Zexion leaned back in his bed and stared at the ceiling.

Axel smiled and pulled back the collar of his shirt to show off a scar on his shoulder.

Zexion looked at the scar and narrowed his eyes. "Do you still keep contact with your sire?"

Axel frowned and pulled his shirt back. "My sire is… dead." he said softly. "It was my… mate… who changed me."

The younger vampire bit his lip. "Sorry...was it...him?" He asked in reference to Reno.

Axel looked at the ground. "Yes..." he whispered. "Let's not talk about him please."

Zexion rubbed his wrist in thought and stayed silent for a bit as he thought. "He gave me his number...so I could call him...but I can't very much do that with a dead boy's phone now, can I?" He thought the change of subject would get Axel out of the quiet mood, it just didn't seem to fit with him.

Axel looked up with a small smile. "Yeah let's go run our errands."

Zexion got off of his bed and wrapped his arm around Axel's arm. "So what happens if I run into another hunter?"

"You run the other way." he said with a chuckle then looked down at the boy. "I'm serious too. If you see any hunter, get away from them as fast as you can, got it memorized?"

"How can I tell if they're a hunter or not? And what happens if I can't get away?" He looked up at the redhead.

"They have a bitter smell to them. Their blood is bitter... and they'll try to attack you as soon as they see you." he said. "And if you can't get away... you'll have to use your power."

Zexion nodded. "Got it..." He tried to think of more questions to ask but none really came to mind. "Do we have work tonight?"

"No. We have work every night except Sunday's." he said and patted the boy's head and led him out of the bedroom.

"Good." He followed after the old vampire and went down the hall quickly.

Axel followed after his adopted fledgling with a smile on his face. "Why did you have plans tonight?"

"No, but I do now." Zexion looked back and smiled. "What are your plans?"

"Probably just staying home. I might go check in on the cafe. Make sure everybody is staying in line." he chuckled.

A sudden idea occurred to the teen. "Is it alright if I take a bag to Aeleus' tonight?" Zexion pushed the door open to the apartment.

"Of blood? Sure. Make sure to keep it cold though." he said and grabbed his wallet from a table by the door and put it in his pocket.

"So just take a cooler with me when I go over there? I just don't want to leave Aeleus' like I've been doing whenever I get hungry..." Zexion bit his lip and looked down

"You really can't stand to be away from him can you?" Axel smiled and grabbed his keys.

"I'm not sure about that, to be honest...I want to be around him but at some times I feel like I have to run away...I feel kind of trapped." Zexion mused aloud.

"Because you can't have his blood." Axel said and walked out of the apartment.

The teen nodded. "But I want it so bad..." He ran a hand through his hair. "I don't want to pressure him into becoming one of us though..."

"Just have a little patience Zexion. And some self-control of course." he laughed and shut the door behind him.

"I'm a teenage boy, I haven't quite grasped the thought of patience yet." Zexion smiled and turned.

Axel smiled as he walked over to the boy. "Teenage vampire." he corrected and put a hand on his shoulder.

The younger vampire shrugged. "I'm ready when you're ready." He fiddled with his old phone.

Axel walked over to his car and unlocked it. "Let's go and get you a phone."


	8. Close Encounters of a Sexy Kind

Chapter 8

Zexion stared at the paper Aeleus had written his phone number on and looked at his new, expensive looking phone.

"You know if you look at it anymore you're going to stare a hole into it." he said as he pulled up to Zexion's old house.

The fledgling looked up and bit his lip. "What if they've already packed up all my stuff?"

"It's only been four days. A mother could never put a son's things away that soon. She's probably still crying over you."

"What if someone's home? What am I supposed to do? I mean..." He gestured to the driveway. "It looks like no one's home..."

Axel turned off the car and looked at the teen. "What is your power again Zexion?"

"Are you coming with me?" Zexion shoved the phone into his pocket and folded up the piece of paper carefully.

"Of course." he said and opened his car door.

Zexion got out of the car and leaned on the vehicle. "So do we just go in the front door or...?"

"Whichever way you feel comfortable." he said with a shrug as he shut the car door.

"I guess through the front door then..." Zexion walked to the front of his old home and pulled a small stepstool to the edge of the porch and stood up on it. He reached for the spare key that was hidden on the inside of the awning and frowned when he couldn't find it.

"What's wrong Zexion?" Axel asked as he walked up behind him.

"It's not here..." He swiped his hand along the edge and pulled his hand away frowning at the grime at his fingertips. "They must have moved it..."

"What? A spare key?" he asked and put his hands in his pockets.

Zexion nodded. "Yeah...My brother usually took me to and from school...never had to worry about a key because he had one...but just in case, they left a spare for me...but I guess since, I'm not around..."

"Alright looks like we'll have to go in through a window." he said and looked up.

"My brother's window might be open...he barely closes it...but there's no easy way to get to it..." Zexion pushed the stool back to its place and headed towards the backside of the house.

"No easy way for a human maybe." Axel said with a smirked and followed the boy.

Zexion pointed to the open window and nodded. "At least I can count on him to do what he always does..."

Axel put an arm around the boy and pulled him close. "Ok hold on tight then."

Zexion held on to the older vampire and became curious at how Axel planned to get up to the window.

Axel smirked and leaped up so he could grab the edge of the roof and pull them up over the edge.

Zexion gasped out of surprise and clung to Axel. "A-Axel, I didn't think you'd actually jump.."

Axel set the boy down on the roof and smirked. "Why wouldn't I?"

The teen looked at the redhead and shook his head. "Ok so, we're on the roof...are we supposed to swing down like monkeys into my brother's room?"

"Something like that." he said and put a hand on his hip. "It'll be easier to lower you into the window."

Zexion kept his distance from the edge and kept a hand on Axel, barely looking at the edge.

"What?" Axel chuckled and stepped closer to the edge. "Scared of heights?"

The younger vampire nodded and bit his lip. "I'm terrified of being up so high, I wouldn't even climb the tree house ladder for the longest time and I still hate it..." Zexion glanced over to a tree a ways from the house.

"I'm sorry." Axel said and pulled Zexion closer and kissed his temple. "I'm going to lower you to the window, don't look down ok?"

Zexion clung to Axel's arms and nodded. "Ok, don't drop me." He said with a bit of worry in his voice.

"I wouldn't dream of it Zexion." Axel whispered and kissed his forehead. "Trust me."

The young vampire closed his eyes and took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Ok, I'm ready."

Axel put his arms around the boy and lowered him off the side of the room to the window.

With a small whine Zexion kicked his legs out until he hooked a leg through the wide open window and pulled himself closer to the house.

Axel smiled and moved Zexion lower so he could make it into the window easily.

The teen didn't let go of Axel until he was sure he could just throw himself into the room and leaned against his brother's bed with wide eyes.

Axel lowered himself so that he was hanging off the roof and swung himself into the bedroom. "You ok?"

"How can you do that?" He hissed and stood up slowly. "I hope I don't have to make a habit out of that..."

"Nope." he said and helped the boy up. "Just a one time thing. Now where's your room?"

"At the end of the hall..." Zexion pushed open the door and started to head down the corridor.

Axel followed him and looked at the pictures on the walls. "Seems like you had a nice family."

"Hm." Zexion stopped at his door and peeked through the open portion and sighed in relief. "Good...all my stuff is still here..." He said as he pushed the door open and stepped in.

"See I told you everything would still be here." Axel said and stepped into the room.

"So how much should I take?" The younger vampire opened his closet door and started looking through his shirts.

"How ever much you want. I have a whole trunk and back seat you can fill." He said with a smile.

"I think I could take my whole wardrobe with that much space..." Zexion started taking a few shirts out and held them on his arm and made a face at one of his older shirts, one that his parents had given him for his birthday that didn't fit his style at all. When he was happy with the shirts he had taken out he moved on to his chest and tugged open a drawer that held pants.

Axel smiled as he watched the boy and walked over to his bed to sit down.

Zexion pulled only a few pairs from the drawer and dug an item out from the top drawer and pulled it over his wrist, covering the bite mark Marluxia gave him. "Can I ask you a favor?" He asked as he rooted in a different drawer.

"Sure Zexion, what is it?" he asked and laid back on the bed.

"Burn these for me." Zexion tossed a small stack of folded letters towards his pseudo-sire.

Axel caught the papers and looked at them. "What are they?" he asked turning them over in his hands.

"Letters from my sire..." Zexion continued to root through the last drawer and tossed a few boxers on to the pile. He stood with his back to Axel in thought of anything else he might need.

"These are from Marluxia." Axel stated then sat up and walked over to the boy. "No." he set the letters on the dresser. " You have to burn them yourself. It won't mean anything if I do it."

Zexion stared at the stack of paper and growled imagining them on fire and not to his surprise a flame burst out on top of the pile.

Axel slammed his hand on top of the imaginary fire. "For real Zexion. And one by one. Burn him out of your life letter by letter."

The teen closed his eyes and turned to Axel. "I don't know if I can do it..." He said quietly. "I'll probably just end up reading them again..."

"Well maybe that's a good thing." he whispered and pushed them closer to the boy. "Read them and burn them... Do what ever you have to."

"I think I'm done here..." Zexion whispered and reluctantly picked up the stack.

"There's nothing else you want?" he asked looking around the boy's room, seeing a few books and other random items.

"The only stuff that really mattered to me, I took with me in a backpack when I ran away...and now I'll never get that stuff back." Zexion sat on his bed. "Feel free to root around..."

Axel frowned and his shoulders slumped. "Ok we can go try to find your backpack."

The younger vampire waved his hand dismissively. "I have no idea where the hell he took me that night...There's no point in trying to look for it if we don't have the first clue as to where it is..."

"Well..." Axel had an idea and snapped his fingers. "Isn't your mate the cop who found you?"

"...Yeah...why?" Zexion looked up at Axel and frowned. "If you're thinking what I'm thinking...wouldn't you think they took it to keep as evidence for my box of a cold case?"

"Maybe. But you're family has a right to your belongings. He could just ask for them back... or he can tell you where they are and we could break in and steal them."

"You're right...My family does have a right to my belongings..." He ran through the list in his head and shook his head. "It's not like I can't just buy the books again." I think I can let my family have what I left with, no pictures of them, lengthy classicism and a thing of cat treats." Zexion walked over to the small pile of clothing he had pulled out and started to pick some up.

"Are you sure?" he asked and shoved the letters into his back pocket.

"Yeah. I'd much rather not burn those items as well, I'd burn myself before I burn a book written by Shelley." Zexion shrugged. "Can we go now?"

"Sure." he said. "Which way would you rather leave?"

"The door, there's no way I'm leaving the way I came in." Zexion shook his head and walked past the red-head.

"Do you need any help carrying anything?" he asked.

"Just the shirts...I have everything else." The teen sighed. "I will be so glad when I leave this place...I can say goodbye to my human life for good..."

Axel grabbed the shirts and headed out the door behind Zexion.

Zexion started down the stairs and glanced behind him. "Was there anything else we needed to do today?"

"Nothing that I can think of." Axel smirked. "Do you want me to drop you off at your mates place?"

"I gotta call him first...and I need to get that blood for later...and I need to feed before heading over there..." Zexion unlocked the front door and opened it. "Which makes me think...I've not fed without you being around... How am I supposed to get rid of the body if you aren't around?"

"Hide it somewhere so I can go back and dispose of it later." he said with a shrug. "That's really the best way."

"But...what if you aren't around?" He asked again in a quieter tone.

"Ok… so what are you implying exactly?" he asked and followed the boy out of the house and shut the door behind him.

Zexion bit his lip. "I… all this stuff about hunters..." The younger vampire turned. "I'm just...worried..."

"Zexion I've been alive for over a thousand years. It's pretty damn hard to kill me." Axel said with a laugh.

The teen nodded and walked over to the trunk of Axel's car. "Ok...so...let's get this stuff to my new room..."

Axel smiled and unlocked the trunk. "Yep and then I'll take you over to Aeleus'."

Zexion still didn't feel comfortable but pushed his stuff into the trunk with a smile. "Yeah, I'm excited."

Axel smiled. "I'm glad you found a mate so early." he said and shut the trunk after Zexion put all his things inside.

"How long does it usually take?" Zexion looked up at the red-head and fiddled with the letters in his hands.

"A few years... or more." he muttered the last part. "Vampire's mates are usually humans that they change, or the mate is a another vampire and they find each other. It really just depends of the circumstances."

"Hm..." Zexion walked to the side of the car and opened the door. He tossed the stack onto the dashboard and dug in his pocket for Aeleus number and started to enter the numbers.

Axel smiled at the boy and got in on the drivers side.

Zexion sat down and closed the door as he hit the talk portion of the screen and held it to his ear and took a deep breath.

"Aeleus Hawes." Aeleus voice said through the phone.

For a moment Zexion wouldn't speak and licked his lips. "God, even hearing your voice makes me hungry..." He mumbled and turned away from Axel, embarrassed.

Aeleus was silent for a moment then he chuckled. "That's a good thing a suppose?"

Zexion shrugged. "Maybe...How was your breakfast? What did you eat?"

"Oh nothing special, just eggs and bacon, and some toast." he said. "How was your breakfast?"

"Nothing special." Zexion smiled. "What's your schedule look like, mine's completely open."

"Oh I'm just working on some paper work." he said. "You can come over whenever. I just may be doing a little work."

"Cool...give me 15...maybe 20 minutes?" Zexion bit his lip. "I just gotta take care of some stuff."

"Of course. I'll see you soon Zexion." he said softly.

"Ok...see you soon." He stayed on the phone for a bit and left his mouth open as if he were going to say something.

"Alright. Bye." he said and went to hang up the phone.

Zexion mumbled a 'goodbye' and hung up the phone and stared at it. "Let's pick up a drunk on the way home."

"You're hungry again?" he asked and shook his head. "You've got it bad boy."

Zexion turned in his seat. "I just want to be safe." He explained. "Is it really that bad to be cautious?"

"No, but if just hearing his voice makes you hungry..." Axel chuckled. "You better talk to him about changing him soon before you kill him."

"I don't want to pressure him..." Zexion crossed his arms and sat back in his seat.

"Well there are some things that he needs to know about dating a vampire." he said and started the car.

"Yeah? Like what?" The teen pouted and stared at his wrist band.

"Like how you could kill him at any moment." Axel said as he started to drive away.

"I'm pretty sure I told him that little tidbit..." Zexion mumbled, and flipped down the visor and looked into the mirror. He hadn't really noticed it but the color of his hair had darkened a bit and his eyes had also turned from gray to a Icy blue shade.

"You should ask him if he wants to be changed." he said with a laugh.

"I want him to ask for it...without me telling him to ask me..." He shoved the visor up. "He knows what I am..."

"Do you really think he will?" he asked.

"Did you ask for it without being prompted?" Zexion furrowed his brow and stared at Axel.

"No. He thought I was going to ask and I thought he was going to ask." Axel chuckled.

"I just want him aware of what he's going to put himself into..." Zexion whispered and looked back ahead.

"And what better way for him to find out then for you to tell him?" he said and pulled up to their apartment complex.

"I will." Zexion grabbed Marluxia's letters and got out of the car. He waited at the trunk to pull out his things.

Axel shook his head with a little smile and popped the trunk. He got out of the car and looked at the boy.

"You get why I feel this way, right?" Zexion pushed the trunk door up and grabbed an armful of stuff.

"Yes I understand perfectly. But you're not going to leave him behind. You'll be there helping him through the change, waiting for him to wake up, and you'll be there with a willing vein for him." he said and ruffled the boy's hair.

"Right..." Zexion held the pile of clothes closer and started to head to the apartment door.

Axel shut the trunk and followed after the boy. "So you're not going to warn him?"

"Warn him? About what?" Zexion pushed past the door and started up the steps.

"About you wanting to change him." he asked and followed after the boy, pulling out his keys.

"I'll tell him...without asking him..." Zexion said after a moment as he waited at the door.

Axel unlocked the door and let the boy into the apartment.

"You have any small coolers or do you think we can get a bag to Aeleus' house fast enough without it going bad?" Zexion started for his room and dumped the clothing on top of his bed.

Axel poked his head into Zexion's room. "Put your clothes up. I'll take care of the blood."

The teen nodded and walked over to his closet and opened the door, pulling a few hangars out and sighed as he slowly put the shirts away. The pile of cards stared back at him and he still wasn't sure he could do it. 'One by one? Why can't I just burn them in a huge pile?' He asked himself.

Axel walked into the kitchen and grabbed a small cooler from the corner. He went to the fridge and filled it with ice from the freezer, then put three bags in the cooler, enough to last the teen the night and the morning.

Zexion put the rest of his clothing away aside from a change of clothes and grabbed the letters. He'd just burn them over at Aeleus'. "Hey Axel..." The younger vampire walked out of his room. "Do you have any matches?"

Axel put the cooler on the table. "Yeah. Are you going to burn them now?"

"No...not yet..." Zexion bit his lip. The letters meant a lot to him, helped him through tough times. But now the comforting words were empty and just reminded him of how stupid he was.

Axel frowned and placed a hand on Zexion's shoulder. "You're going to do it at Aeleus'?"

Zexion shrugged. "I just want them around so when I feel like it...I'll be able to burn them...at my own pace. I just want to get to Aeleus' right now...I'll worry about them later."

Axel went over to a drawer and pulled out a pack of matches. "Alright. Come on let's get you over to your mates."

"Feed first, then Aeleus'." Zexion pointed and tucked the small stack between his extra clothing.

"Right of course. But it is a little early for the drunks to be out on the street."

The teen bit his lip. "Oh yeah...so then..." He frowned and held his clothing to his chest.

Axel sighed and walked over to the fridge and pulled bag out. "Here. I'll have to get more soon."

"How do people not notice these things missing?" Zexion took the bag from Axel and poked a hole in it.

"They just assume it's a typo I guess." he shrugged and grabbed the cooler.

The younger vampire sucked the blood out in one long pull and nodded. "Alright. Ready to go."

Axel pointed to a trash can. "Throw your garbage away."

Zexion flicked the empty bag away and stretched. "Done."

Axel walked out of the apartment. "Alright now that you're fed are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I'm ready." Zexion walked ahead of him. "I am super ready to go." He laughed a little.

Axel smiled and shut and locked the door behind them. He followed the boy, happy that he had found his mate.

Zexion was practically bouncing in his seat by the time they got to Aeleus' condo. "So when do you want me back?"

"When ever you want to come home." Axel said with a smile as they pulled up to the condo. He lifted the cooler from the floor. "I gave you three bags."

"Ok. Thanks for taking me over." Zexion got out of the car and grabbed his

clothes. "Want me to call you?"

"Yeah I want to come pick you up, or have him bring you home. I don't want you

walking home anymore not after the incident with the hunter. Have fun ok?" he said.

Zexion nodded. "Ok, I will." He grabbed the cooler and waved Axel goodbye and turned to walk up to the door and rang the doorbell.

Aeleus pushed away from his desk and went to go answer the door. He opened the door and smiled. "Hey..."

The teen put his things down quickly and gave the tall man a tight hug. "Hey." He said as he breathed in his scent.

Aeleus lifted the boy into his arms and carried him into the condo and shut the door behind them.

"I missed you..." Zexion whispered and closed his eyes. "What are you doing right now?"

"Just work." he said and pulled back. "I missed you too..." he whispered.

"Oh...well, I can wait until you're done." Zexion looked up. "There's...some things I want to talk to you about."

"My work can wait or you can sit in my lap. Whichever you want to do Zexion." He said and nuzzled Zexion's neck.

"Wouldn't I be in the way if I were sitting in your lap while you worked?" Zexion smiled.

"Mmm... maybe..." he muttered as he kissed down Zexion's neck.

The teen tilted his neck to the side and bit his lip. "I don't want to distract you from your work..."

"You started distracting me as soon as you got here." he said and nipped at the vampire's neck. "You smell good..."

"Mm." Zexion opened his eyes a bit to look at Aeleus. "What do I smell like?" He whispered.

"Like... something sweet. Like honey." he whispered and licked at the boy's neck.

"Aeleus..." Zexion closed his eyes. "I really need to tell you something..."

Aeleus rested a hand under Zexion's ass and lifted him closer. "Yeah...?"

"It's very dangerous...being around me..."Zexion looked into his love's eyes. "And it's very dangerous being what I am..."

"I know you told me last night." he said and stared back at the boy.

"And you're perfectly comfortable with that?" The vampire wrapped his arms around Aeleus' neck.

"Yeah, I mean I don't know why you can't have my blood, but as long as you keep coming back I don't care about the danger."

"Aeleus..." Zexion rested his head on the man's chest. "If I bite you...you're as good as dead..."

"Oh... well then just don't bite me." he said and lowered the boy to the ground but kept him close.

Zexion's eyes widened and he shook his head. "No! Don't say that!" He bit his lip and looked away worried.

Aeleus tilted his head to the side. "Wh-why?" he asked.

"I-if you don't want me to bite you, th-then I won't be able to change you." Zexion clapped his hands over his mouth, realizing he was echoing Marluxia's words.

"Change me?" he frowned then picked Zexion up and carried him into the living room and sat down on the couch with Zexion in his lap. "Now what are you talking about?"

"Change you into a vampire..."Zexion whispered and bit his lip. "I..." He shook his head and closed his eyes,

"Zexion please talk to me. Will you tell me everything about you?" he asked and ran his fingers through the boy's hair.

"That night you found me...I was in so much pain...because of the venom, that comes from a vampire's bite.." Zexion looked to Aeleus. "Every time I feed...I kill someone." He whispered.

Aeleus stared at the boy and bit his lip. "If that's true why do we never find any bodies?"

"Because Axel burns them to nothing but ash..." Zexion lowered his head in shame.

"So... all the missing persons cases, all the cold cases..." he looked down, slight disgust on his face.

"I'm sorry!" The teen clung to Aeleus and began to cry. He felt like he was screwing everything up and that Aeleus would never want to become like him.

The human stared down at the boy in his lap and wrapped an arm around his waist with a sigh. "Don't cry. Please just… don't cry."

"Zexion bit his lip. "You probably think I'm some kind of monster..." He whispered.

Aeleus stayed silent and ran a hand through the boy's hair. "Zexion... I'm sorry. It's hard knowing that you've... killed people." he whispered.

"It's not like I want to..." The vampire sniffed. "It's the only way I can live.."

"Alright alright... We don't have to talk about this right now. You're getting upset." he whispered and wiped away the boy's tears.

"I just want you to know...that being what I am...It's no picnic..." He looked up. "You understand why I can't have your blood now...right?"

"Yes I understand." he said softly and kissed Zexion's forehead then pulled him to his chest.

Zexion calmed down after a bit and sighed. "The only normal thing I've done since becoming one is sleep..."

"Well I'm not so sure. I mean I would call what we did last night normal." he said with a smirk, and ran a hand up and down Zexion's back.

The teen blushed and a small smile pulled at his lips. "Would you?" He looked up and wiped his face of excess tears.

"I would." he said softly and caressed Zexion's cheek. "See I told you I would remember..."

The vampire pressed his lips to Aeleus' with a smile and shifted in his lap so that

he was straddling the older man. Aeleus kissed Zexion back and wove his fingers into the

boy's hair as he deepened the kiss. Zexion parted his lips as he pressed himself closer,

slipping his hands to the man's shoulders. Aeleus pushed his tongue into the boy's mouth and let out a small moan when their tongues met, and the teen tentatively nipped at the man's tongue and grinded his hips against Aeleus'. The human moaned and bucked his hips up into Zexion's, who gasped and pulled out of the kiss and blushed realizing where this was quickly headed.

Aeleus looked up at the boy and pulled his fingers from his hair to caress his cheek. "Are you alright?"

The teen nodded and licked his lips. He knew what he would want to do, if it continued and he closed his eyes, still not feeling ready.

Aeleus frowned and pulled the boy close. "You're not ready..." he whispered.

"I don't think I'll ever be ready if something doesn't change..." Zexion looked away. So much for not pressuring him.

Aeleus frowned. "You mean me?" he whispered and tilted Zexion's head back towards him.

"I don't want you to make that decision without thinking it through..." The vampire whispered back.

Aeleus sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Zexion, that's a hard decision for

me..."

"Good...I want it to be a hard decision for you...I went into it blind..." Zexion bit

his lip.

The older man smiled down at the boy and ran a hand up and down his back. "I'll put some serious thought into it alright?"

Zexion smiled. "Thank you..." He hugged Aeleus' neck and took a deep breath.

"You're such a sweet boy..." he whispered and moved the boy into a more comfortable position sitting in his lap.

Zexion closed his eyes. "I just want to be safe..." He leaned back.

"I'll protect you Zexion." he whispered and moved his head down to kiss Zexion's shoulder blade.

"Heh...I could have probably used that earlier today..." He sighed and shook his head.

Aeleus pushed the boy away slightly and looked down at him. "Why? What happened?"

The vampire tilted his head back. "I ran into a hunter on my way home...He tried killing me on the spot."

"Did he hurt you?" he asked and put the boy down on the couch next to him. "Wait what's a hunter?"

"Nothing more than a scratch...I was able to get away...he was chasing another vampire and I just happened to cross paths with them." He leaned on Aeleus. "Hunters are people that try to kill vampires."

Aeleus ran a hand down his face with a sigh. "This is why I want to drive you home."

"Oh, you will. Axel won't let me walk home anymore, anyway." Zexion looked around the room.

"Axel? Who's Axel?" he asked and stared at the boy.

"He's...my foster-sire. He took me in and has taken care of me, given me a job and has helped me with the past couple of days." Zexion explained.

"Oh..." he put an arm around Zexion's shoulders and pulled him closer. "Where do you work?"

"You wouldn't believe me." The teen looked up with a slight blush. "I work...at The Inferno."

"The Inferno? Wait so... that girl who works there... I recognized her because she was... you?"

Zexion nodded. "Yup, that was me..." He laughed. "I'm still embarrassed for dropping all that food on you..."

"Why... why were you in a dress?" he asked, pulling away to look down at the boy and ignoring the food comment.

"Because Axel told me I had the face of a lolita. Obviously, he was right." The vampire looked up.

"Well I suppose that I must agree with him." he said softly with a blush. "You looked..." he coughed and shook his head. "Well anyway..."

"I looked what?" Zexion turned and grinned. "You have to tell me."

Aeleus laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "I'd rather not..." he said with a blush.

"Come on...what are you afraid you'll hurt my feelings?" Zexion leaned on him and placed a hand on his chest.

Aeleus blushed as he put a hand over Zexion's. "Amazing. Sexy... I didn't think that I would ever like girls that way but turns out it was you..." he whispered.

"Well...I guess you added uncoordinated to the list when I dropped my tray." He smiled and pulled Aeleus' hand to his mouth.

"More like clumsy and adorable." he whispered and put an arm around the boy's waist.

Zexion kissed his hand and took a finger into his mouth and ran his tongue along the tip.

Aeleus gasped and pulled the boy back into his lap. He licked his lips and leaned down to lick at Zexion's neck.

"Mmm..." He dragged his teeth along Aeleus finger as he pulled away and kissed his palm. "I love you, Aeleus..."

Aeleus pulled away from the pale neck and looked into his eyes. "I love you too Zexion."

Zexion smiled and closed his eyes as he kissed further and paused at the wrist.

Aeleus smiled sadly and ran a hand through the boy's hair. "You want my blood very badly don't you?"

Zexion nodded and brushed his teeth against the sensitive skin. "I can't say that I don't." He whispered.

"I wish I could let you have some but... I'm not quiet sure I'm ready for that." Aeleus said softly as a shiver ran down his spine.

Zexion pulled away. "That's fine." The teen moved to Aeleus' neck and breathed in.

Aeleus chuckled. "What do I smell like?" he asked, repeating Zexion's question.

"Hmm..." Zexion kissed his neck. "It's hard to describe. like...ribs with...a sweet glaze."

Aeleus chuckled and held the boy close. "Hmm... I sound delicious."

"You certainly do smell delicious." Zexion whispered and kissed his neck again.

"Well thank you." he said and ran his fingers down Zexion's neck

The teen pulled away with a quick breath. "So what were you working on before I got here...other than paperwork?"

"Well that was just it." he said and ran his hand down Zexion's back.

"I should really let you finish it..." The vampire closed his eyes and tilted his head back, arching to the touch.

"It can wait... Today is my day off." he whispered, leaning forward and kissing Zexion's neck.

Zexion smiled. "Alright then, but I don't want to get you into trouble for not having things finished..."

"I get yelled at for doing work on my days off anyway." he said and nipped at the pale skin.

"So you're a hard-worker..."The teen bit his lip and placed his hands on the human's shoulders.

"Hmm..." Aeleus murmured and bit down harder and licked at the bite mark.

"Ah, practicing...?" Zexion squeezed Aeleus' shoulders.

"Possibly..." he breathed and lowered the boy onto the couch. "I could practice somewhere else." he said as he lowered and hand to Zexion's crotch.

The teen blushed and bit is lip, leaning into the couch and pulling his hands back to fall beside his face.

Aeleus unbuttoned the boy's pants and pushed his hand inside. For some reason he couldn't keep his hands off the boy.

Zexion whimpered and turned his face to the side as his blush turned a deeper shade of red.

Aeleus pulled away from the boy's neck to look down at him. He unzipped the pants and pushed them down slightly. "Zexion... I love touching you..."

Zexion looked at him through one eye. "You can touch me all you want." he whispered.

Aeleus pressed their lips together and pushed his hand into the boy's underwear. Zexion moaned into the kiss and bucked his hips to the touch. Aeleus pushed his tongue into Zexion's mouth and let out a small moan. The vampire wrapped his arms around his shoulders and nipped at the invading tongue. Aeleus moaned into the kiss and wrapped his fingers tightly around Zexion's member.

"Mmn!" He pulled out of the kiss and dug his nails into his back, moaning out his name. The man smirked and started to kiss down Zexion's body and slip off the couch.

Zexion twisted slightly and held tightly to the edge of the couch. "Aeleus..."

Aeleus knelled on the floor and smirked up at the boy. "Relax Zexion." he said softly and pulled down the boy's boxers.

The teen looked up at the ceiling as he tried to calm down. "I-I'm relaxed..."

Aeleus leaned forward and started to lick at the tip with quick flicks of his tongue. Zexion bit his lip and tried not to make any noises, but small squeaks passed his lips. Aeleus chuckled and took Zexion's erection in his hand and continued to lick at the tip.

"Ah-Aeleus..." He blushed again and closed his eyes. His face felt like it was on fire.

Aeleus pulled back and looked at Zexion's member in his hand. He started to stroke the boy and smiled as he licked away the precum. Zexion turned his head to the side and moaned quietly as he placed his hands on Aeleus' shoulders.

"Mmmm.." Aeleus pulled back and licked at his lips before taking the tip into his mouth.

The teen bit his tongue and squeezed his hands. "I love you..." He whispered.

The human pulled back and smiled up at the boy. "I love you too Zexion..."

He ran his fingers through Aeleus' brown curls and smiled back at his lover. Aeleus smiled and moved head down to take the tip back into his mouth. Zexion tilted his head back into the couch and sucked on his lower lip as he moaned again. Aeleus ran his free hand up Zexion's leg and slowly took more into his mouth.

The vampire gasped and bucked his hips. "Ah, Aeleus!"

Aeleus pulled back with a chuckled. "Getting so excited just from that? I can't wait to hear what other noises you make..."

Zexion blushed and looked away from his lover unsure if he should tell him he was a virgin. "Ah-uhm..." He bit his lip.

Aeleus tilted his head to the side then lifted a hand to moved Zexion head back towards him. "What is it Zexion?"

"I..I haven't..." Zexion bit his lip "I mean...I wouldn't know...really..."

Aeleus stared at the boy then started to chuckle. "You're a virgin. Well you are only fifteen, I would expect you to be a virgin." he said.

The boy blushed deeper. "Yeah...I-I guess that would make sense..." Zexion closed his eyes.

Aeleus smiled and sat up to give the boy a quick kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too, Aeleus..." The vampire began to think of what the man's new name would be. He did like his human name.

Aeleus smiled and kneeled back down and took the tip back into his mouth.

"Mm..." The vampire relaxed and took a deep breath.

Aeleus chuckled around the length in his mouth and took away his hand as he deep throated the boy.

"Ah!" Zexion bit his lip and looked down at his lover through half-lidded eyes.

Aeleus smirked and looked up at the vampire. He started to bob his head and dragged his teeth gently down the boy's length. The teen closed his eyes and let out a small moan as he tangled his fingers in the man's curls. He wrapped an arm around the boy's waist and pulled him closer. He closed his eyes and started to move his head faster.

"Aeleus...!" He whined slightly and arched his back in an attempt to get more.

Aeleus bobbed his head faster before deep throating the boy and running his tongue under Zexion's erection.

"Mmn!" Zexion bit his lip and pulled his hands from Aeleus' head with a small gasp.

Aeleus bobbed his head a little faster and closed his eyes. He moved one hand up and let it sneak under Zexion's shirt. The teen twisted beneath Aeleus and whimpered his hands wanting to follow the man's path. Aeleus pulled back and sucked at the tip again, his fingers finding one of Zexion's nipples.

"Ehn...Zexion placed a hand over Aeleus' and bit his lip feeling that wave of fire pass through him. He tried to hold on for longer, but when the human nipped the erection in his mouth and pinched the boy's nipple gently, it made it almost unbearable. Zexion moaned loudly and bucked his hips and he arched his back, squeezing Aeleus' wrist. Aeleus pushed his other hand under Zexion's shirt and massaged the other nipple. The boy gasped and opened his eyes in fear as he felt his fangs and quickly without thinking pulled his own wrist to his mouth and bit into it as he released, moaning past his sudden gag.

Aeleus swallowed the boy's seed as he pulled away from him and pulled his hands from Zexion's shirt to wipe his mouth. He looked up at Zexion and tilted his head to the side. "Zexion?"

The vampire didn't dare to release his wrist and closed his eyes, feeling like a fool. Blood seeped slowly from the wound he had given himself and he covered his face with his free hand in embarrassment.

Aeleus eyes widened when he saw the blood and he stood up quickly and placed a hand on Zexion's arm. "Zexion what's wrong?"

The boy slid his hand over his mouth after pulling his wrist away and shook his head. "I-I'm fine, Aeleus..." He mumbled behind his hand and shifted slightly on the couch. "I...could you go grab the cooler I brought?"

"Sure." Aeleus stood up and quickly walked out to the entry hall and returned to the living room with the cooler. "Here."

"Thanks..." Zexion licked the blood from his wrist as the wound slowly began to heal and he opened the plastic bucket and pulled out a bag of blood. "I didn't think this was going to happen so soon." He whispered and tuned away from Aeleus, as he began to drink from the bag.

"Are those... blood bags?" he whispered and looked into the cooler. "How did you get these?"

Zexion pulled away from the bag and closed his eyes, still keeping his back to Aeleus. "They're Axel's...I don't know where he gets them from..."

"Stolen from a blood bank by the looks of them." he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Everything you do is against my morals..."

"Against your morals..." He said after finishing the bag and tucked the bag away in the cooler. He quietly put the lid back on. The vampire looked back to Aeleus with sad eyes. "I can't help...the way I am..."

"I know..." he sighed and sat down next to the boy. He grabbed a blanket and draped it over the boy's half naked body.

"That was nice..." Zexion placed his hand on Aeleus' arm. "I ...I'm sorry I ruined it.." He looked down.

"No... you didn't ruin anything." he said and pulled the boy closer.

Zexion clung to Aeleus. "I wish it didn't have to be like this..." He whispered.

"Well if you were still human, you probably wouldn't be sitting here with me right now." he said and ran his hand over Zexion's hip.

"I'd probably be leading my poor excuse of a life at school rereading some book." Zexion shook his head.

"Would you mind telling me about what your human life was like? I'd like to know more about you." he said softly and moved around so that he was laying on his back on the couch and Zexion was laying on top of him.

"Shitty..." Zexion said bitterly. "I would jump at any chance to escape my family...they constantly told me how much I wasn't like my big brother all the time..."

"Oh... well your mother seemed genuinely upset at the hospital." he said softly.

"I guess...I was still her son...but I hated living...I stuck to myself and became a wallflower and everyone ignored me...I thought it best to stay that way..." Zexion sighed and rested his head on the man's chest.

Aeleus sighed and ran his hand through Zexion's hair, brushing some behind his ear. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be...Although it seems danger is around every nook and cranny of this new life...I've enjoyed my time more than I ever had my human life." Zexion kissed Aeleus' chest.

"Is that partly thanks to me?" He said with a smiled and caressed his cheek.

"Most definitely. I was about ready to simply do the same thing everyday and follow whatever instruction's Axel had for me and probably turn into a new flower that attached itself to a different wall." Zexion closed his eyes.

Aeleus smiled and leaned up to kiss him softly. "Tell me about Axel?"

Zexion smiled and nodded as he curled up to Aeleus and started to tell him about his new life, that he hoped Aeleus would soon be joining.


	9. The Truth Revealed

Chapter 9

'Still trapped in this wretched bed. I want to at least get up and walk around, but Marluxia won't let me do anything now that the doctor's have given him 'news'. I knew it would only be a matter of time but this is Marluxia...Time is absolutely irrelevant to him, except now he's realizing that my time is being cut short.' An ash blond wrote in his journal and pushed his glasses up his nose and smiled at the cat that had curled up at his feet. 'At least now I have a friend that spends all day with me...' The bedridden man closed his journal and sighed, moving his toes to disturb the black feline.

Said pink haired vampire walked into the room carrying a tray with a teapot and tea cups. "Even? How are you feeling?"

"Fine..." He lied and he knew Marluxia knew he was lying. "Where have you been lately?" Even placed his journal to the side and sat up straighter in his bed.

"Just looking around for potential healers." he said and set the tray down on the table next to the bed. "Now tell me how you're really feeling."

Even took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm no better than I was the last time you asked me..." He muttered.

"I wish you would just let me change you." he whispered and caressed the human's face.

"You know how I feel about that..." Even stared at the vampire. "I wish you would just stop wasting your time and spend it with me..."

"I know you feel weak Even but I can cure you." he said and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I don't...! Your method does nothing but cover it up...I want to be rid of this disease for good..." Even hardened his stare at the ancient vampire.

"Even you have very little time left... Please I don't want to lose you." Marluxia whispered and touched the man's cheek.

The sickly man closed his eyes and leaned to the touch. "I'm not afraid of death.." He whispered. "I only fear that what little time I have left...that it's without you..."

"Well I fear death…" he whispered and touched their foreheads together. "Even, I can't go on without you."

"Don't you think you would have found one by now? Fate doesn't want to yield to your whims." Even sighed.

"Healers are just rare... I'll find one soon." he whispered. "You can't give up like this Even..."

"Hm." Even pulled away and held the vampire at arms length. "I'm merely accepting the circumstances..."

"I don't want you to accept the circumstances!" he shouted and stood up, running a hand through his hair.

Even folded his hands in is lap and sat quietly, staring down at his long fingers. "Stop being a child, Marluxia..." He whispered.

"I'm not being a child!" he yelled. "I'm upset because my mate is giving up on life!"

"Yet you're still throwing a tantrum..." He shifted in his bed and pushed back a wave of hair. "I'm not giving up...I'm not floundering about in hopelessness and feeling sorry for myself."

"Even please..." he kneeled next to the bed and took his mates face into his hands. "Please let me change you..."

The human shook his head. "No...not yet...I'm too weak." He smiled. "I'm still waiting on this healer of yours..."

"Even...please." he whispered pathetically. "I don't want to come home to find you... I couldn't handle that..."

Even kissed the vampire's forehead. "I still have time...now who's giving up?" He brushed his fingers through the pink hair.

"Even..." he breathed out the name and caressed the blonds cheeks. He stood up and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I just want you to be better." he said softly.

"I feel better whenever you're with me..." Even took Marluxia's hand and twined his fingers. "I'm happy like this..."

"Well..." Marluxia sighed. "I'm happy too but it's just so frustrating. I have a cure right here." he said and he flipped over his arm showing his wrist. "But you won't take it..."

"Just like I haven't taken what the doctors suggest. I'm leaving it to fate. If your other method works, then there is nothing to worry about." He sighed and leaned on his lover.

Marluxia wrapped an arm around the man and held him close. "I love you Even..." he kissed the top of his head.

"I love you too, Marluxia." Even closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I want to take a walk. I've been in this bed for weeks..."

The vampire looked down at the human and frowned. "You're not strong enough." he said softly. "You need to stay in bed."

Even's shoulders slumped. "I don't want to stay in bed. I want to take a walk." He said stubbornly.

Marluxia stood up with a sigh. "Fine." he said and pulled the blankets back and lifted the man into his arms.

"With my own legs..." Even whined but held onto the vampire. He sighed when Marluxia wouldn't let him down and leaned his head against his chest and looked away.

"I don't want you to fall." he said and tightened his arms around the human. "I'll let you walk out in the garden."

Even smiled. "I miss the garden..." He looked up. "Remember what you did to get my attention that day we met?"

"How could I ever forget?" he whispered and nuzzled the top of Even's head. "Any teenage boy would be charmed with being surrounded by live roses."

Even tilted his head up for a kiss. "I was, I thought I was dreaming..."

Marluxia smiled and moved his head down to met Even's lips with his own. The ash blond shifted and wrapped both his arms around the vampire's neck in an attempt to deepen the kiss. Marluxia paused in the hallway as he pushed his tongue into the human's mouth and debated going back to the bedroom.

Even nipped gently at the tongue and moaned quietly as he gripped a bit of Marluxia's hair.

Marluxia pulled away from Even's mouth and looked at his mate through half lidded eyes. "Even..."

The human tilted his head to the side and his eyes widened. "Ah..." Even bushed and bit his lip.

"Do you still want to go to the garden?" he asked softly.

"I want to be with you..." He whispered and pulled himself closer to Marluxia.

Marluxia smiled and carried the man down the stairs and through the house to a back door. "We can be together out here. How's that sound?"

"Mm..." Even closed his eyes and nuzzled his lover's chest. "That sounds nice."

Marluxia walked into a huge garden that was overflowing with plants. The vampire carried the man over to a open patch of grass and laid him down. "I love you." he whispered and controlled the rose bushes around, to surround them.

"I love you too, Marluxia..." He kept his hands on his shoulders and closed his eyes. "I love you so much..." He whispered.

Marluxia smiled and unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off his shoulders before leaning over the man. Even lifted a leg and tugged at his lover's pink hair and looked into the cerulean colored eyes.

"You're so beautiful Even." he whispered and ran his fingers through the blond hair.

A light blush tinged at his cheeks and the human bit his lip. "Only because I am surrounded by such beauty..." he whispered.

"The roses don't compare to you. If anything, they don't deserve to be near you." he said and leaned down to kiss Even's forehead.

"I would be rather sad if plants couldn't be near me..." Even closed an eye and let his hands drift to his sides.

"We'll always keep this garden Even. I promise." he whispered and leaned down to kiss the blond gently.

The human kissed him back and wrapped his arms around his neck. Marluxia ran a hand down the man's neck and down his chest slowly. Even parted his lips and pulled Marluxia closer to himself. He grabbed a bit of pink hair and twirled it around his finger. Marluxia moaned into the kiss and pushed his tongue into Even's mouth. The ash blond tugged on the hair in his hand and pressed his tongue against the vampire's. Marluxia pushed his hand up the man's shirt and ran his fingers over the human's chest.

"Mmm..." Even moaned into the kiss and slipped his hands down Marluxia's sides.

Marluxia pulled out of the kiss and lifted up Even's shirt to kiss down his chest. "I love you so much..."

"Marluxia..." Even whispered and rested his hands back on the vampire's neck.

"You don't understand how badly I want you..." he whispered and grazed his fangs over the man nipple.

Even gasped and arched his back. "Ah, Mar..." His face flushed a bright pink.

"I want to bite you so badly... But I can't." he breathed and closed his eyes breathing in Even's scent.

"I'm sorry..." The human whispered. "I...I..." A tear dripped down the side of his face and he closed his eyes.

Marluxia looked up and licked away the tears. "Don't cry, my darling, please don't cry."

Even hugged onto Marluxia tightly and held him close "Don't leave again..." He whispered.

"I have to... I have to find you a healer." he whispered and kissed the side of Even's head.

"I hate it when you leave...I'm always so lonely..." The human refused to let him go.

"You have the cat." he whispered and ran his hand down Even's side.

Even shook his head and bit his lip. "That's not enough..."

"Even, my darling..." he pulled back and stared down at him sadly. "How am I to ever make you better if I don't find a healer?"

The ash blond closed his eyes and nodded slowly, submitting to the man's wishes. "I know..."

"I hate leaving you alone you know that." he said and caressed the man face. "But I need to make you better

"It'll happen..." Even whispered and looked to the roses. "It's just a matter of time..."

"Time is something that you don't have, my love." he whispered and laid on his side next to his lover.

"I have enough." The human closed a hand to his fist. "I promise I'll ask then..."

"Even..." Marluxia caressed the mans cheek and pulled him to his chest. "I just want you to be better."

"I will...I want to be better too." Even smiled. "So what are your plans for this evening?"

"I was going to go out again, but right now I just want to stay home with you." he whispered softly.

"I can keep you for this night..." he placed a hand on Marluxia's cheek. "Then I'll let you go on your search..."

"I love you Even." he whispered and lifted the human face so he could kiss him.

Even kissed him back gently and closed his eyes. "I've been up for a bit..." He whispered against his lips.

Marluxia pulled back concerned. "Do I need to get you back up into bed?"

"I think I could rest right here..." Even closed his eyes and let go of Marluxia.

"Even..." he sat up and pulled the man up into his arms. "Even wake up!

"Nnh..." Even grimaced slightly. "Just let me sleep here..." He whispered weakly.

"No, if you're going to sleep it's going to be in your bed. I don't need you getting a cold too." he whispered and lifted the man into his arms.

The human sighed. "...Fine." Even made no attempt to protest the sudden wave of tiredness hitting him hard.

Marluxia stared down at his lover as he stood up. "You're worrying me Even... This is why I don't let you out of bed. You don't have the stamina for it."

"Then make the bed more exciting..." The human shifted slightly to curl to the vampire's side.

"I'll do what ever you want me to do to the bed... or in it." he said with a smirk. "As long as it keeps you under the covers."

Even waved his hand dismissively with a tired smile. "I'll have to admit I've missed that..."

Marluxia chuckled and looked down at his love as he ascended the stairs. "Have you now?"

"I can't imagine how you've felt..." The human whispered and clung to Marluxia.

Marluxia carried Even back into the bedroom and lowered him down onto the bed. "It's very hard not having you every night."

Even kept his hands on Marluxia. "Sleep with me..." He quietly asked and his expressive eyes pleaded.

Marluxia smiled and crawled onto the bed and straddled Even's hips. "I remember when you first said that to me." he said and leaned down to nuzzled his neck.

Even blushed slightly, "I was drunk and wasn't entirely sure what I was saying that night." Even placed his hands on Marluxia's shoulders.

"You seemed like you enjoyed it very much though." he said and grazed Even's neck with his fangs.

The human whimpered slightly and tightened his hold on Marluxia. "I absolutely hated it." He joked weakly.

Marluxia chuckled and pushed a hand back under the mans shirt.

"So those moans and screams for more, were because you were in pain?"

Even blushed again and looked away. "O-of course..."

The vampire chuckled and looked up at his lover. "We'll I'll try to be more gentle then."

"Hmmm, I don't mind it every now and then..." He whispered and leaned his head into the pillow as he closed his eyes.

Marluxia stared down at his lover worriedly. "Are you sure you're not too tired?" he asked softly.

"If I sleep now you may be gone by the time I wake up again..." He opened his eyes and looked up at Marluxia.

"I'm so scared to wear you out and make you worse." he said and caressed the man cheek.

Even pouted. "Then sleep beside me..." He hugged onto Marluxia.

"But you want me too, I can tell." he whispered and ran his nails down Even's chest gently.

Even tensed to the touch. "I do..." He closed his eyes and frowned. "I just want to be with you..." He whispered in a quivering voice.

"You know of you let me change you, you would get better then I wouldn't be so scared about hurting you." he said.

"And let all this time you've been gone be a waste...? No, not yet..." Even shook his head.

"Alright fine... Then promise me one thing?" he said and cupped Even's cheek with his hand.

The human looked back up. "Anything..."

"Promise me that, if, as soon as you take a turn for the worse, Goddess forbid, that you'll ask me to change you." he said and bit his lip.

Even nodded and placed a hand over Marluxia's. "Yes, I promise...but only then."

"Alright. I can accept that." he said softly and leaned down to kiss the man.

Even kissed him back and cupped his lover's face in his hands.

Marluxia ran a hand down the man's body to his crotch and pulled on the drawstring of the pajama pants.

"Mm." The ash blond kissed him more deeply, wrapping an arm around his neck. Marluxia pushed a hand into the blonds pants and let his tongue enter Even's mouth. Even moaned quietly into the kiss and pushed against his lover's tongue. Marluxia nipped at Even's tongue and rubbed his hand against his lover's length. The human lifted his hips to get more from his lover and he let his tongue explore Marluxia's fangs.

The vampire moaned when the human's tongue touched his fangs, and he pulled back slightly. "Careful..." he whispered.

"Marluxia, you've shown restraint for 12 years...are you really going to bite me after all this time?" Even looked at his lover with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"It get's harder and harder each day love." he said and ran a finger down Even's neck. "I've wanted to taste you so badly."

"Hm. You wouldn't...I know you wouldn't handle it if you were responsible..." Even placed a finger to the pink-haired man's lips. "I'm confident you wouldn't do that to me..."

"No... I could never..." he whispered and nuzzled the finger before licking it. "But I want it so badly..."

Even drew back his hand and closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I know..." The human whispered.

"I'll be able to taste you one day." he said softly and pulled off the man's pants.

"Yes, you will. And I'll always...be there, for you..." Even said quietly.

"And I'll always be by your side." he breathed. "Are you sure you're up for this?"

"I want to...I really do..." The human bit his lip and looked to the ceiling rolling his head back and forth on the pillow.

"But you're too tired." he whispered and rolled off the man. "You really should get your rest."

"I'm sorry..." Even quietly apologized and rose his hands to his face.

"Now you stop that." he said and pulled down Even's arms. "You need to rest darling." he said softly and caressed his cheek.

"Be here...when I wake up..." Even looked to his lover with half-closed eyes.

"Alright. I'll be here... I promise." he whispered and pulled the blankets up over them, and pulled Even closer.

The human closed his eyes to sleep after curling to Marluxia's arms.

Marluxia smiled and kissed Even's forehead. "Goodnight my darling."

~! #$%^&*()_++_)(*&^%$# !~~! #$%^&*()_++_)(*&^%$# !~

"Alright little vampy... I'm going to ask you one. More. Time." a man in a eye patch said as he stood over a girl tied to a table. "Who is your sire?"

The blue-eyed girl pulled at her restraints and shook her head. "He'll come soon enough! You'll know his name then!"

The hunter sighed. "No vampire is dumb enough to come straight to Braig." the man laughed. "Now tell me who he is." he said and walked around the table. "Come on, I'm asking all nice like and everything."

"No!" The young vampire narrowed her eyes and tugged at her restraints again. "He loves me, he said he'd come back for me!"

Braig sighed and his shoulders slumped. "Fine I tried being nice." he said and pulled out a dagger.

The black-haired girl stared at the dagger with wide eyes. "Wh-what are you...?"

"This is an interrogation. And also torture." he said and stabbed the girls hand thrusting the dagger through her hand, then pulled it back out.

"Ahhh!" The girl shrieked in pain and tried to pull away from Braig.

"Going to give me any info little girl?" he asked with a smirk.

"The vampire bit her lip and looked to her hand and then up to Braig. "Mar...His name is Marluxia..." She said through gritted teeth.

"Good." his smirk widened. "Now... where does he live?"

The vampire shook her head. "I...I don't know..." She said and stared at her healing hand.

"Well that's not a good answer." he said shaking his head. "Not good at all. Are you sure you don't know?"

She took her eyes off her hand and shook her head. "I don't know..." The girl repeated.

Braig sighed, believing the girl. "Alright... Any other vampys around that you know about?"

"Just him, I swear!" She watched the man carefully and felt the strength in her hand return slowly.

"You really are no fun. Now come on you have to know where a few others are." he said and ran the dagger down her other arm.

The girl bit her lip and closed her eyes. "I don't know any other vampires...Just him..."

Braig stabbed her other hand. "That's not what I want to hear." he growled out.

The vampire wailed in another bout of pain and a few tears fell from her eyes. "Please...I'm telling you the truth!"

"Look if you just give me one little clue as to where another vampire is I'll let you live."

"But I don't know any other vampires...!" The girl cried. "I haven't had the chance to meet others..."

"One little clue that's all I want." he said.

"I can't tell you anything if I don't know the answer..." She twisted uncomfortable under the man's gaze.

He thought as he circled the table and stopped at her head. "How were you changed?"

"...What?" She looked up at him with wide eyes and bit her lip looking to her wrist where Marluxia had bitten her.

Braig followed her line of sight and repeated his question. "How were you changed?"

"I...Marluxia bit me..." She answered and looked back to the hunter.

"Well everybody knows that. How does the process work?" he shouted.

The girl winced. "I drank his blood after that...a-and then I passed out!"

"Drank his blood... hmm. And that's it?" he said and walked to the side of the table.

The black-haired girl nodded and bit her lip trying to remember the exact details of what happened the other day.

"Tick tock little girl, I don't got all day." he said and leaned over her.

The vampire squirmed under Braig and struggled in her restraints again. "Let me go!" She shouted.

"Not so fast little girl. You tell me about the change and you'll get your freedom."

The blue-eyed girl snapped at Braig and growled. "Marluxia will kill you!"

"I've heard of this Marluxia guy, pretty bad ass vamp. I'd like to get my hands on him. It'd be a fun challenge. But let me tell you something poppet... I've never fought a vamp I didn't kill in the end."

The vampire bit her lip. 'I've got to warn him...!' "Wait..." She looked up at Braig remembering the words Marluxia whispered to her before he changed her.

"Hmm..." he looked down at the girl fingering his blade thinking of where to stab her next.

"H-he wouldn't change me...unless I asked him!" She blurted. "Th-that's all I know, let me go!"

"Hmm... so you have to ask to be changed... You're information has been helpful." he said with a smirk.

"Y-you'll let me go, now, right?" The young vampire tried to lift herself from the table.

"Oh yeah, yeah." he said with a chuckle. He smirked and slammed the dagger down into the girls chest. "I'll let you go to hell..."

The only noise the vampire managed to make was a startled squeak as her eyes widened in surprise. She squeezed her hands as she tried to fight through the pain.

Braig smirked and pulled out another dagger. "This one will make your death go a little faster." he said and pulled the other dagger out of the vampire's chest, before stabbing the poisoned one into her heart.

The girl gasped for air and blood began to dribble from her mouth. "Bastard..." She cried silently.

Braig smirked and walked away from the girl to let her die. "Say what you want you'll be dead soon."

Tears began streaming down her face, in a matter of days her life had been turned upside down, just meeting her sire a week ago. And now she was dying for him and something told her she wouldn't be saved.


	10. A New Love

Chapter 10

Zexion woke to the obnoxious alarm Aeleus used to wake up every morning and clung tighter to his lover not wanting them to leave bed just yet. He had a nightmare that involved the brunette and bit his lip. He didn't recognize the other in the dream and was afraid to ask. There were no pictures of this individual in the house he roamed last night when he couldn't fall asleep.

Aeleus reached over to the nightstand and turned off the alarm. He glance down at the boy and smiled as he kissed the top of his head.

"Good morning...Aeleus. How did you sleep?" He looked up and smiled.

"Alright I suppose." he said and stood up. "How did you sleep?"

"...Fine." The vampire answered and reached up and ran a hand through the man's curls.

Aeleus smiled and kissed the boy softly. "Come on I want to drop you off before work."

Zexion hugged onto the pillow and closed his eyes. "Mmmm...can you go get my clothes? I left them at the door when I came yesterday..."

Aeleus chuckled at the boy and pulled off his pants to change into some clothes for work. "Sure."

"Thank you..." the teen took a deep breath and licked his lips. 'Who is Robbie?' He thought as he waited.

Aeleus changed clothes and walked out of the room and down to the entry way where Zexion left his things. He lifted the bundle of clothes and a stack of papers fell out. He picked them up and pulled one from the rubber band and skimmed though the letter. He frowned and headed back up to his room. He walked into his room and dropped the clothes on the bed. "Zexion... What are these?" he asked holding up the letters "Who's Marluxia?"

Zexion's eyes widened and he jumped out of bed quickly. "Ah! Th-those...!" He reached for the letters and bit his lip, blushing because he had completely forgotten about them.

"What are they?" he said with hurt in his eyes. "How can you say you love me when you have these?!" he said loudly.

Zexion looked to his feet and shook his head. "I-It's not like that..." He whispered.

"Then what is it like?" he asked threw the letters on the bed.

For awhile Zexion stood silent and hugged himself. "M-Marluxia...is my sire..." He whispered and closed his eyes.

"Well apparently he's more than just a sire to you. He's your lover..." he said and turned away from the boy.

"N-No! That's not it!" Zexion grabbed the man from behind. "I was going to burn them!"

Aeleus looked down at the boy. "Burn them?"

Zexion nodded. "If you look at the dates...they're all old... Aeleus... Marluxia is the one who killed me..." He could feel the waterworks about to turn on but he held them back.

Aeleus looked down at the letters and back at Zexion then pulled him into his arms. "I'm sorry."

"I hate Marluxia..." The vampire whispered. "Those letters are full of empty words..." Zexion hugged onto the older man.

Aeleus ran his hand through Zexion's hair and held him closer. "I believe you Zexion. Come on I need to get you home."

Zexion reached up to pull Aeleus into a kiss and pulled away. "I love you..." He spoke as if he were trying to prove something.

Aeleus caressed Zexion's cheek. "I love you too." he smiled.

The vampire pulled away and quickly changed into the second set of clothes and gathered up the letters. "I'm sorry, I totally forgot about them...I was going to burn them after you fell asleep..."

"Burn them once you get home." he said and ruffled the boy's messy hair. "It's alright, let's go."

Zexion nodded and left the room to go grab the cooler which still had a bag in it.

Aeleus followed the boy and stopped at the kitchen table to grab his badge, gun, and wallet.

The teen waited at the door and bit his lip. "Are you sure you slept easy last night?" He asked slowly.

"I had you in my arms didn't I?" he said with a chuckle.

Zexion frowned slightly. "I guess so..." He opened the door and tried to figure out why he had the nightmare.

"Are you ok? he asked and followed the boy out of the house, locking the door behind them.

"I'm fine..." He looked to Aeleus "...I just...don't usually dream that often when I sleep." He mumbled.

"Well what did you dream about?" he asked and headed to his dark blue avenger.

"Uh..." Zexion followed after the cop. "Who's...Robbie?" He asked tentatively and fiddled with the zipper on his jacket.

Aeleus stopped walking and turned to look at Zexion. "How do you know him?"

The teen bit his lip. "Uh…I…" He looked away and held his clothes close to his chest. "I can't really explain _how_ I know him."

"Robbie was my older brother… Did… did you have a dream about him?"

Zexion nodded. "I, yeah, I did…" The vampire looked up with sad eyes. "I…I can tap into other people's minds and find their worst nightmare…but I didn't mean to look at yours…"

"That's ok. I mean it's not that big of a deal. I was planning of telling you eventually." he said softly and unlocked his car.

"But…I invaded your privacy…" Zexion whispered and went to the other side of the car. "How come you don't have any pictures of him in your home?"

"Too painful of memories." he said and opened Zexion's door for him. "Come on I need to get you home."

The vampire nodded realizing that he probably didn't want to talk about it and sat down in the car with the cooler on his lap and the clothing on top.

Aeleus walked over to his side of the car and got in. He stared the car and backed out of his parking spot. "Ok now where do you live?"

"Uh…" He bit his lip, trying to remember what the name of the street was that he lived on. "The…apartments at Bastion Avenue…? I think it was called that."

"Alright do you know what apartment number?" he asked and turned out onto the street.

"Uhhh." Zexion blushed and laughed. "I'm sorry…I can point it out to you when we get there?"

Aeleus chuckled and nodded his head. "Alright." he glanced over at Zexion and smiled. "I'm glad that you're alright."

"As far as alright can go for a vampire, I suppose…" He smiled. "Axel told me you're a regular at The Inferno…how regular?"

Aeleus laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Pretty regular…"

"Then I guess I'll be seeing you tonight." Zexion smiled. "I work every night but Sundays."

"Yeah." he said with a smirk. "Wear something cute for me?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Oh, I'm sure I can find something nice…" The vampire grinned. "I did see a-oh no I'll leave it as a surprise."

Aeleus smirked at the boy and glanced over at him. "I'm looking forward to it."

"I'll have to spend some time in the dressing room picking an outfit out, just for you." Zexion looked back to the road with a smile on his face.

Aeleus smiled and pulled onto Bastion Avenue. "Alright where do you live?"

"That one, building C." Zexion pointed to his apartment and bit his lip. "I really enjoyed last night." He looked to Aeleus.

Aeleus parked the car and looked over at the boy. "So did I." he said softly and pulled the boy into a gentle kiss.

Zexion kissed him back and pulled away. "I've kept you from work long enough, they're going to wonder where you're at if I don't leave you be." He whispered, a hand on the door.

"Just a little kiss." he said softly. "To get me through the day." he whispered softly.

"Ok…" Zexion took off his seatbelt and leaned over to kiss Aeleus and placed a hand on his shoulder the other resting on the dashboard.

Aeleus wrapped his arms around the boy and licked at his lips slowly. The teen smiled and parted his lips slightly, flicking his tongue out to meet the older man's before retreating back into his mouth. Aeleus pushed his tongue into Zexion mouth and let out a small moan. The vampire leaned closer to his lover and moved his hand to cup his cheek.

Aeleus smiled into the kiss and pulled back. "If I don't leave now I never will."

Zexion nodded. "Ok. I'll see you tonight then." He gave him a quick peck on the cheek and got out of the car.

Aeleus smiled and waited until Zexion got into the building to drive away.

The vampire headed up the steps and fiddled with the key to the apartment and when he finally got the door open he walked in and set his things on the kitchen table. He shoved the last bag back into the refrigerator and began heading to his room, clothing and Marluxia's letters in hand.

Axel poked his head out of his room. "Hey welcome home. How was your night?"

"Great." Zexion tossed his clothing on his bed and came out holding up the letters. "Bucket, now. I want these things gone."

Axel nodded and headed into the bathroom. He pulled a bucket from under the sink and used a cup to fill it with some water. "Here. Be careful."

Zexion knelt beside the bucket and dug into his pants for the box of matches. "…Aeleus found them." He ripped a letter from the stack and lit a match and set the piece of paper on fire.

Axel leaned against the door frame. "So… Details from last night?"

"We mostly just talked." Zexion stared at the flame with a hard eye. "I told him more about us-vampires, I mean…"

"Right. And how is he taking all of this?" he asked softly.

"He's wary…" Zexion dropped the remnants of the letter into the bucket and stared at the letters thinking he should simply burn them all at the same time.

Axel walked into the room and sat down next to the boy. "Did you tell him about being changed?

"I'm not sure what you mean…about the process or the fact that I can't bite him unless he asks me to?" Zexion pulled another letter from the pile and set fire to it.

"Either or." he said with a shrug.

"I haven't told him about the process… but…" he looked to Axel. "It's hard… I…" he stopped. "I had to bite myself at one point."

"Ooh… had to bite yourself. What have you been doing?" he smirked. "Have you slept with him yet?"

` The teen shook his head. "No I told him I wouldn't be comfortable if something didn't change." he dropped the letter in the bucket.

"So pretty much you told him no sex until he becomes a vampire." he said with a laugh.

Zexion blushed. "I-I… suppose I did… but I wanted him to think about becoming one of us… not because of sex."

"You love him though, he's your mate." he said. "Sex with your mate is mind blowing."

The younger vampire set the last few letters on fire." I don't want him to make a rash decision… when the time is right; he's not ready for it now."

"Have you told him he's your mate?" he asked.

"No. I don't think that really matters." the letters burned slowly in his hand. "We love each other, shouldn't that be enough of an explanation?"

"If you say so. If he says no you're going to be in a lot of pain." Axel said and ruffled the boy's hair.

"If I told him he was my mate, how would that change anything?" the teen dumped the letters in the bucket and sighed.

"I suppose it wouldn't, but it might. You'll never know." he said with a smile.

"If he said no… then I would understand. He's a cop. I kill things, steal from others… he doesn't understand yet…" Zexion stood up and wiped his hands.

"Said no to becoming like us?" Axel chuckled. "You would be in a world of hurt."  
"Well then if that's the case… what's stopping me from drinking his blood?" he looked at Axel wit a dull look.

"Ok, I've been trying to hint at it, but I'm just going to tell you. And this is very important. If your mate denies you or being with you. Or if he dies either by your hand or another… you'll go through what we call a breakdown."

"What's that supposed to mean Axel?" he crossed his arms. "Didn't you say that I could just take his blood if I wanted to?"

"Yeah and when he dies you'll be in so much pain. Your heart will feel like it's on fire. At least that's how my breakdown feels. Everyone has different breakdowns."

"…Oh…" the teen bit his lip. "How can I convince him then?"

"Talk to him. If he loves you like you say then he'll go through the change." he said.

Zexion nodded. "Alright well…. When should we head to work?" he picked up the bucket.

"Not for a while. So why don't you relax for a little bit?"

The younger vampire nodded. "Where would you like me to take care of this?" he gestured with the bucket.

"You can just go dump it down the gutter in the street." he said. "It's what I do with mine. Dilute it with a little more water first though."

Zexion walked over to the sink and turned on the water dipping the bucket under the flow of water. "That was easier than I thought it would be."

"It's because they don't mean anything to you anymore." Axel said as he leaned against the doorframe with crossed arms.

"I guess…" Zexion turned off the water and pulled the bucket out with two hands. "I don't need them anymore."

"Because you have Aeleus." Axel said. "Is he coming tonight?"

"To the Inferno?" The teen started heading out of the apartment. "Yeah he said he'd be there…why?"

"Oh then you'll want to wear something special and cute tonight. I'll make sure Nam dresses you in something special." he said and walked to his room.

"I had an idea though…" He leaned on the door. "The white one…with the red?"

"Oh? You like that one?" he asked with a smirk. "You would look cute in it…. Oh… Does Aeleus like you in dresses?"

"So much that he questioned his sexuality when he saw me in the blue and black one." Zexion smirked.

Axel laughed and shook his head. "You do look real good in those dresses."

Zexion smiled and left the apartment to get rid of the letters.

~! #$%^&*()_++_)(*&^%$# !~~! #$%^&*()_++_)(*&^%$# !~

Axel stepped out of his dressing room while pulling back his hair. He looked over at Zexion and Namine's dressing room. "You guys ready yet?"

"Just a minute, this dress doesn't have a zipper…" The teen bit his lip as Namine pulled tighter on the strings on the back. "I didn't think this was going to be that hard…" He whined.

"Oh quit being a baby this is how women used to live their daily lives." she said and pulled the laces tight.

Zexion whined again and held onto his chest. "How the hell did women breathe back then?"

"We didn't." she said simply and tugged again before tying the laces and she looked at Zexion in the mirror. "You look good." she said patting his side.

The boy whimpered and looked in the mirror. "This better be worth it…" He attempted to stretch in the dress.

"Aeleus will love it. Let's just hope he can figure out how to get you out of it without ripping it." Namine chuckled and turned around to walk out of the room.

Zexion followed after the blonde and bit his lip looking up at Axel, flustered at not being able to breathe well.

Axel frowned. "Nam he can barely breath. I can't expect him to wait tables like this. Loosen it."

Namine sighed and crossed her arms. "Fine. Big baby…" she muttered and loosened the back or the corset.

The youngest vampire took in a deep breath and frowned slightly when he still couldn't breath comfortably but he would manage. "So…any news from Xaldin?" He asked as he glanced at the kitchen doors.

"He won't be coming in until the hunter issue is taken care of. He also seemed…. Preoccupied when I called earlier to ask how everything was." Axel said with a chuckle.

"Oh…Well…Ok." Zexion adjusted the red headband and bit his lip. "Well then, day two of work coming up!" He said and clapped his hands together. "Let's see if I can manage not to drop anything this time."

Namine smiled and led the way out into the café.

~! #$%^&*()_++_)(*&^%$# !~~! #$%^&*()_++_)(*&^%$# !~

A blond boy ran through the alleyways and was pretty sure he had completely lost the hunter on his tail, but he was never too sure when it came to Seifer. When he heard heavy footsteps he quickly ran into the back door of a building and looked behind him to see if the young man was still chasing after him and ran into something hard. Zexion let out a yelp and threw the tray away from himself so that he wouldn't manage to make a mess all over the white dress. "H-Hey!"

Namine looked behind her to see why Zexion had stopped walking with the huge order of food. "Oh… And who might you be?"

Zexion looked up and shook his head. "Damn it!" He looked down at himself and sighed in relief when he didn't make a mess of his dress…just all of the hallway.

"Sorry!" He knelt down to help the teen up and rose an eyebrow. "Wait…do I know you?" He asked Zexion. The boy just looked bewildered.

Namine handed Zexion her tray. "Take this out and get the rest of the orders remade." she said and grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him into the back where the dressing rooms were.

The teen sighed and headed back into the kitchen. The blond stared at Namine and rose an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"I'm helping you." she said and took him into a spare dressing room. "Just sit here for a bit. I'm going to go get my sire." she left the room and hurried to the bar. "Axel. We have a little bit of a situation."

"A situation?" he finished making the drink that was in his hands and handed it to a man on the other side of the bar. "What's up?"

"Come with me." she said. Axel left the bar in the care of the other bar keep and followed Namine back to the spare dressing room.

The vampire in the dressing room stared at the clothing in the room and ran a hand through his hair wondering what exactly he ran into, was this some kind of vampire haven of some such?

Namine pulled Axel into the room and pointed at the boy. "He just ran in through the back door. I think he was being chased." she said.

"Alright alright." Axel turned and looked at the boy and instantly couldn't breath.

The boy narrowed his eyes at the redhead and he backed into the chair he was sitting in. "Wh-who are you?"

Axel shook his head and walked over to the boy. "My name is Axel. Who might you be?" he asked softly and kneeled down in front of him.

"Ruh…Roxas." He looked at the older vampire and bit his lip, not sure what to do. "What…what is this place?"

"This is The Inferno. It's a café and bar that I own." he said. "Where did you come from Roxas?"

"London." Roxas looked to Namine and his face scrunched up in confusion. He had no idea what was going on he felt like he couldn't move and felt utterly trapped under Axel's gaze.

"Namine can you give us a minute?" he asked not taking his eyes off of the boy.

Namine left the room closing the door behind her.

"What are you doing to me?" The younger vampire asked in a terrified whisper after the girl left the room.

Axel chuckled. "I'm not doing anything to you Roxas." he whispered and took the boy's face in his hands. "Didn't your sire ever tell you about finding a mate?"

"Ah, no…?" Roxas glanced at the green-eyed man's hands for a second. "I…" He bit his lip.

Axel chuckled and moved closer to the teen. "A mate is your lover. A reason for living you could say."

"A-a reason for living…?" He stared into the bright emerald eyes and licked his lips. "Axel…?"

"Yes Roxas?" he asked and caressed the boy face. "What is it?"

The blond vampire raised his hands to Axel's face and pulled it close to his own. "Stop talking to me like I'm some kind of child."

"How old are you?" he whispered with a smirk.

"Older than you think, though I can tell your older than all the people's ages in this place." He replied.

"To me you are a child." he whispered and brought Roxas' lips to his own.

Roxas wrapped his arms around the older vampire and kissed him back and nipped at his lips. Axel moaned into the kiss and ran his hands down the boy's chest slowly. He licked at Roxas' lips as his fingers ran down his chest. The teen tugged at Axel's hair and wrapped his legs around the vampire.

Axel smirked as he pulled out of the kiss to look at the boy. "You kiss pretty well." he said softly and rested his hand on the boy's hips.

Roxas let go of Axel as quickly as he had grabbed him. "Well, you kiss ok yourself…" He blushed and looked away.

Axel chuckled and offered the boy his wrist. "You look starved half to death."

"Just like that you're offering yourself to me?" Roxas looked at him warily and took the wrist in his hand.

"Well you're my mate, what's stopping you from feeding from me?" he said and lifted a hand to brush some hair from his face. "I want to feed you."

"I'm worried about what you might do to me." Roxas whispered. "I don't trust many people…I didn't trust my sire and I have no reason to really trust you…"

"Well if you didn't trust your sire why did you ask him to change you?" he asked and caressed the boy's face.

"Because I wanted what he was offering." Roxas brought Axel's wrist to his face and took a breath. "I'm a bit greedy…." He looked up.

"You wanted immortality…" Axel breathed and licked his lips. "You can be greedy with me I don't mind…"

Roxas bit into Axel's wrist and closed his eyes as he drank the other vampire's blood. "Mmmh…" He pulled Axel closer.

Axel moaned softly and pulled the boy closer. "That feels so good…" he breathed and wrapped an arm around Roxas' waist.

Roxas sucked more and looked back up at Axel and bit harder into his wrist. _'So I'm just a child to you, hmm?'_

Axel stood up and lifted the boy up. He sat down in the chair and held Roxas in his lap. "Well that and you're my mate." he whispered.

Roxas turned and straddled the older vampire as he pulled away from his wrist. "That's no good…" He licked his lips and he pursed them in thought.

"And why is that no good?" he asked and ran a hand down over the younger vampire's ass.

"Not enough of it in the speed I want." Roxas leaned to kiss his neck. "I like it from here…" Be brushed his fangs high up against Axel's neck."

Axel swallowed and tilted his head to the side. "It's all yours. I would give you the last drop of my blood if you wanted it." he whispered.

Roxas smiled. "You really shouldn't say that…I might just drink all your blood."

Axel chuckled. "You wouldn't be able to handle my death." he breathed and ran a hand up and down Roxas' back.

"I wouldn't? I was fine with my sire's." He whispered and ran a hand up the back of his neck.

"I'm different from a sire." he said and pulled the boy closer. "How did your sire die?"

"…I killed him." He whispered and licked at Axel's neck.

Axel chuckled and moved his head back further. "Now why did you do that?" he asked softly.

"I guess he forgot to tell me to stop when he changed me." Roxas shook his head. "Why do I feel terribly honest when I'm around you?"

"Because I'm your mate." he said and wrapped his arms around the teen. "Come on. Feed and I'll let you get some rest. You seem tired."

"I've been running for three weeks." Roxas bit into his neck and sucked deeply from his mate.

"Yeah you need some sleep." he said while holding back a moan.

Roxas closed his eyes. _'I'm not sure if I should…I may have led the hunter to your place…'_

"The hunters were already on their way here. Besides I'm not letting you leave me that easily." he whispered and wove his fingers into the blond hair.

Roxas pulled away and pushed away from Axel. "I feel like…I…" He bit his lip. "I can't sleep now." He whispered.

"Can't sleep?" Axel looked up into Roxas' eyes. "Now why is that? You were plenty tired a while ago."

"If I sleep, they'll find me again…" He slumped back into Axel's arms. "I can't sleep…ever."

Axel smiled at the smaller boy and stood up with him in his arms. "It's alright now. I'll protect you." he whispered and kissed his forehead.

"It's never safe…Leon always finds me…" Roxas whispered. "I need to stay…awake."

"He won't find you now." Axel walked out into the hall and over to his own dressing room. "I promise." he said as he laid the boy out on a couch.

"Promises are worthless." He mumbled and turned to the couch and closed his eyes. "Worthless…" Roxas continued.

"Mine aren't…" he whispered as he leaned down to kiss his temple. "Sleep well." he walked out of the dressing room and turned off the light.

Zexion was outside on his hands and knees cleaning up the mess he had made and turned. "What happened?"

Axel smiled. "We're going to be having someone else living with us." he said and kneeled to help the boy.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Then teen glanced to Axel's dressing room. "That's the boy who ran into me the other day…"

"Is it?" he glanced over his shoulder at the door to his room then looked back at Zexion. "That's Roxas. He's that one who's going to be living with us."

"…Oh. Just for protection from that hunter?" He stood up and wiped his hands on a towel. "Note to self, don't bend over while wearing a corset…" He grimaced and stretched.

Axel laughed then smiled thinking about the blond boy. "Roxas is my mate." he said softly.

"Huh?" Zexion bit his lip. "What…what about…Reno?" He bit his lip. "Does it just change like that? Instantaneous…change of heart, just like that?"

"Don't say it like that!" he snapped. "I loved Reno… and yes he was my mate, my first mate in fact, but vampires can have more than one mate. I will never love Roxas like I loved Reno, but Roxas can be the same… in time."

"Sorry…" the slate-haired teen bit his lip. "I…didn't mean it like that…" He smiled. "I'm happy for you."

"I'm sorry I snapped. I can get a little defensive." he said. "Come on let's get back to work." he said and led the way back to the café.


	11. Dresses Equal Nosebleeds

Chapter 11

Zexion smiled when he saw Aeleus and his friends come in through the front door. He quickly finished what he was doing and patted down his dress and readjusted his headband and waited until they sat down. He walked over to their table and smiled. "Hi, I'm…Zexia and I'll be taking care of you tonight."

Aeleus smirked when he heard the voice and looked up at the boy. "Oh…wow…" he stared at the boy then turned his eyes back to the menu.

'That's it?' He expected more than a small glance. "How about I start you all off on some drinks." The vampire held up his pad of paper and pen.

"I wanna try that new one…the…" Arlene looked at the smaller menu. "This one, the sour apple martini. I heard it's different than the others I've tasted."

"Rum and coke for me and a white zinfandel sangria for him." Xehanort said motioning to the blue haired man next to him.

Isa rolled his eyes at the tan man. "I can order for myself, Xehanort." He sighed. "But I'll take that, if you don't mind." Zexion nodded and looked to Aeleus.

"And…for you sir?" He scribbled down the notes of what everyone else wanted.

"Just scotch. On the rocks." he said and ran a hand through his hair. "I'd like to have you on the rocks…" he muttered to himself.

Zexion raised his eyebrows and scribbled quickly onto the pad. "Got it." Now that was a reaction he liked hearing although it made his ears go a little red.

Aeleus turned his head to look at the boy and licked his lips. That dress looked really good on the boy.

"Ok then, I'll get those ready for you while you take a look at the menu." He said and nodded at Aeleus' menu.

Aeleus shook his head and looked back down at the menu.

Zexion returned to the bar and shook his head with a smile. Arlene stared at Aeleus oddly and a slow smile crept onto her face. "So are you totally digging the waitress, Ael?"

"What?! No! No." he said and buried his face into the menu. "No she um… has a pretty dress that's all."

"Pretty dress…and a pretty face…and a nice petite body…" Arlene laughed. "Pretty strong reaction you just gave me too."

"You're forgetting that I don't like girls Arlene." he muttered and looked down a row.

"Hmm…" Arlene looked back at her menu.

"I like the dress; I think it looks rather nice on her." Isa said quietly and folded his hands in his lap. "That doesn't mean I want to go after her, though."

The blond rolled her eyes. "Of course not, you've already got someone to fuck with."

"I'd watch yourself if I were you Arlene. Isa can have you fired in a minute." Xehanort said and ran his hand up Isa's thigh.

The scarred man smiled. "No, she's worth having around…" Isa crossed his legs. "She's a better shot than either of you."

Xehanort frowned and rested his hand on his boss's knee. "Then why do you keep us around?"

Isa raised an eyebrow and looked at his lover as if he had to ask. "Because you're good at finding things out and getting answers…speaking of which…have you-"

"Ah-ah-ah!" Arlene raised a hand. "No work talk at the table…"

Aeleus laughed and closed his menu after he decided what he wanted. "Arlene's right you guys promised."

Xehanort chuckled and looked at his lover. "We can talk later."

Zexion came back and placed the drinks in front of the customers. "I assume you're ready to order now?" Zexion tentatively placed a hand on Aeleus' shoulder.

Aeleus smiled and looked up. "I'll have a strip- I mean steak burger with fries."

Xehanort raised an eyebrow but shook his head dismissing his friends' slip of tongue. "I'll have the grilled chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy and corn."

"Oriental chicken salad-grilled, for me." Arlene answered and placed her menu on top of the others.

Isa took another look over his menu and frowned. "I never know what to get, everything just looks so good…"

"This is why I order for you Isa." Xehanort laughed. "He'll have the teriyaki stir fry with steak instead of chicken."

"Alrighty, I'll get all that ready for you in a bit." Zexion let go of Aeleus' shoulder and headed over to the kitchen.

Aeleus stared after the boy and his eyes strayed to his ass. He licked his lips than grabbed his drink and took a long sip.

Isa watched his subordinate's line of sight and pursed his lips slightly, he wasn't sure what was going on but there was more than just the waitress' dress, but kept his mouth shut. Zexion pushed into the kitchen and sighed after he set the orders in view of the cooks. It was an awfully slow night but he had only worked on the weekend so far.

Namine walked up behind the boy. "How are you doing? Want me to loosen that?"

"Ah, no, I think I'm fine right now…Aeleus is having…trouble hiding what he thinks about me." Zexion grinned and smoothed out his dress.

Namine giggled and put a hand on Zexion's shoulder. "You do look really good." she said.

"I really wish I could change him now…would just make my life simpler…" He bit his lip. "You know how hard it is to keep myself from biting him?" Zexion whispered.

Namine frowned. "No. I'm afraid I don't but I'm sure that's it very painful for you."

"I kept saying 'I don't wanna pressure you,' and 'I want this to be a hard decision for you.' What the hell was I thinking?" The boy put his hands to his head in dismay.

"Zexion calm down. If he loves you he'll want to be with you forever." she said and patted his shoulder. "Cheer up."

"Humans have such an advantage over us, when it comes to finding mates…they have so much control over how things go…Axel's telling me that I'll be in so much pain if he says no…" Zexion's order was almost finished.

"Well yes that is true but do you honestly think that he will say no to you?" she asked.

"I would hope not but…" The boy shrugged. "I can't tell sometimes…he knows that I have to kill in order to live and that I steal…Just…I'm a person he would go after. I'm not sure what he's thinking…" Zexion picked up his order and sighed. "I gotta go…"

Namine watched the boy go and sighed. "Everything will turn out ok Zexion." she whispered.

Zexion slowly placed each dish in front Aeleus and his friends and tried to keep up a smile. "If you need anything be sure to tell me…" Arlene began to attack her salad and Isa smiled at his own dinner.

Xehanort picked up his knife and fork and smiled at Isa. "You're welcome." he said as he started to eat.

Aeleus lifted glass and shook it. "Another?" he asked with a smirk,

"Sure thing." Zexion smiled and took the glass from his hand. "I'll be right back."

He turned and left with the glass and Isa looked up from his meal. "I think she likes you, Aeleus."

"What? Her? No…" he shook his head and went to eating his meal.

"No? What makes you think that? She's looking at you differently than the rest of us." Isa smirked after he took a bite.

"No she's not." he said quickly and took another bite. "You're just seeing things…"

Isa narrowed his eyes. "I know what I see, Aeleus."

Arlene raised an eyebrow. "Relax, boss, he just doesn't want to admit that a girl is thinking about him "possibly" like that." She emphasized.

"She's not. Besides even if that were the case nothing would come of it." he said as he continued to eat.

Zexion walked up and placed the scotch down in front of Aeleus. "Is…how's everything taste?"

Aeleus took a drink of the scotch and nodded. "Delicious." he smiled at Zexion.

"Ok…" Zexion walked away and stopped at a child's seat and bent down to pick up the toy she flung in her happiness and placed the rattling object in front of the little girl.

Aeleus stared as the boy bent over then went back to eating. He decided that he would try to ignore the boy the best he could.

Zexion leaned on the bar when all the tables he was working seemed satisfied and glanced over to Axel. "Am I doing anything wrong?"

"Other than making your mate seem very awkward around his friends? No." he laughed and leaned on his elbows. "Can't you see how badly he wants to rip off that dress from your body?"

"No, I hadn't noticed that." Zexion joked. "But I've given him rules, if he wants me that badly he's going to have to make some changes. That way, I'm not pressuring him…"

Axel laughed. "You call dressing like that not pressuring him? You are so mean." he shook his head.

"It's not my fault he's thinking such naughty thoughts. He's pressuring himself." The teen nodded. "I'm surprised I've been able to keep myself away from him without having the urge to bite him as much…Is that a bad thing?"

"No. It just means that you're gaining control over your desires." Axel said.

"Hmm…then the danger card I'm pulling for no sex isn't going to be very valid…" He whined quietly. "I don't want to wait anymore."

"Then just go for it Zexion. Or tell him that you want to change him." he said. "Make a move."

Zexion nodded. "I'm gonna ask him the next time I have the chance." He went over to a different table of new customers to take their order.

"He's late." growled an impatient brunette. "Why do we need him? We can find them on our own."

"He has information that may or may not be valuable to us. He was vague…but Braig has always been vague since Yuffie got killed." The blond turned in his seat at a dark bar. "Leon…whatever he knows will be worth it."

"Not if we already know it." he grumbled as he leaned back in the chair he was sitting in.

Braig walked into the bar and waved with a smile at the other two hunters. "What no drink ready for me when I arrive, Cloud?"

Cloud frowned and crossed his legs and arms. "You told me you had some information…?"

Leon grumbled something about Braig being arrogant and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"Oh yeah, but how about a drink?" Braig sat down beside Cloud.

"You'll get your drink when we know what you've told us is good enough." Cloud replied.

Leon lit his cigarette and eyed the man suspiciously. "Yeah come on, out with it."

"Well. I killed a vamp this morning…told me she was sired by Marluxia. That's the vamp you're after…riiiiight?"

Leon looked up. "Yeah. That bastard sires two for every one we kill." he said and took a puff on his cigarette.

"She also said…" His smile widened and Cloud frowned when he wouldn't say anything else. The blond motioned for a beer. "She was changed just two days ago. That's gotta mean he's close, riiiight?"

Leon growled and crossed his arms. "Do you have any coordinates?" he asked.

Braig thanked the waiter for the beer and took a sip. "Ah. Unfortunately…no, but! But, just think…how many vampires have we killed in this area recently?"

"A ridiculous amount." Leon growled and pulled the cancer stick from his mouth. "That Marluxia is up to something."

"Soooo? That should mean something to you, riiiiiight?" Braig drank again.

"He's settled…" Cloud said quietly. "He's not been moving around…"

"Bingo!" Braig pushed a finger high into the air. "He's not going anywhere soon. Now why do you think that is?"

"We don't know that's why we asked you Braig." Leon said took another drag on his cigarette.

"God, don't you guys know anything about the things you hunt?" Braig shook his head and took another drink. "A mate. He's found a mate, but for some odd reason he's stopped running around."

"So… why would he keep changing humans if he's found a mate. He must have a reason." Leon muttered.

"Hell if I know…" Braig kicked back in his seat.

"Who cares? If he's stopped moving then we should try and figure out if we've got another vampire to deal with that he'll be pissed about if we kill it." Cloud stared at Leon.

"I don't think his mate is a vampire. Why would he continue to feed from and kill humans? I mean what if he's holding a human captive?"

"Captive? You mean if his mate is still human? Now that raises some questions right there, doesn't it?" Braig stretched. "Well what about you guys, do you have any ideas about the one's I'M after?"

"Not much really. All that we can tell you is that he has a little one of which he is very, very protective over. We had a run in with them about a year or two ago. You have two weaknesses you can exploit with Luxord. His little brother and his mate." Leon said as he snuffed out the butt of his cigarette.

"I knew about his mate but…This little brother is news to me…" He narrowed his eye. "Well, I've gotten pretty close to getting Luxord but he's always seconds ahead of my guns."

Leon laughed. "Don't you know what his power is?" he said crossed his legs.

"If I knew that then he'd be dead by now, but he won't show it to me, it's realllllly annoying, you have no idea." Braig frowned.

"Well if he's always seconds ahead of your gun, then he's already shown it to you." Leon laughed at looked at Cloud. "Luxord controls time."

"Well then…I think I can figure something past that…thank you very much for telling me." Braig stood up. "If that's all we have to share…then I guess I'm outta here." Cloud raised his hand about the extra beer but the hunter was already out of the bar.

"So what do you want to do now Cloud?" Leon asked and scooted his chair closer to the blond.

"I wanna find out what this whole mate or no mate crap is about." Cloud narrowed his eyes at the door and crossed his arms.

"Well it's not uncommon. It's a definite possibility that Marluxia found a mate." he said and stood. "It's getting late. We should get some sleep."

"Hmm…Seifer still hasn't come back from his daily chase of Roxas…When do you think he'll realize that chasing vampires like that is never going to work?"

"I think that they both find it fun." he said with a laughed and held out his hand for Cloud to take. "Let's just go home."

"Roxas might just get tired of running and kill him if he's not too careful." Cloud stood after taking Leon's hand. "By the way, didn't Seifer say he ran into yet another vampire when he was chasing?"

"He did." Leon said and squeezed Cloud's hand. "Enough hunting talk. Let's just relax for a little while. Even though you might not think so, you need your rest too."

"Rest is for the weak, Leon." The blond stood and leaned on his partner. "And what else is there to talk about?"

"We don't have to talk." he said softly and put his arm around Cloud. "You're only human you need rest."

"Hmm...so you're telling me that all humans are weak...telling me that I'm weak." Cloud bowed his head. "I hate that word..."

"Then quit saying it. I'm not calling you weak." he said and kissed the top of his head.

Cloud sighed and closed his eyes, thoughts of vampires plaguing his mind.

"Calm your thoughts Cloud." Leon whispered and helped him out of the bar.

"It's the only thing left for me to do. There is nothing else." The shorter man looked up.

"You have me." he whispered and help the blond to their car.

"And if I lose you to them, then there really won't be anything left...what would I do then?" Cloud leaned held onto Leon tighter.

"You won't lose me to them." he whispered softly. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

"I'm not interested in getting rid of you at all." Cloud opened the door to the car and got in. "I just want to be rid of them."

"I know you do, but you try too hard. You're going to wear yourself ragged." he said and shut the door.

Cloud sighed and shook his head as he waited for his best friend to get into the car. "I am weak..." He mumbled to himself.

Leon climbed in and started the car. "Cloud are you going to be ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Cloud leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "I do need to sleep."

"I'll get us home quickly then." he said and sped away from the bar.

Arlene stretched and stood up after paying her share of the bill. "I'm beat; I gotta head and get some shut eye...early morning and all."

Xehanort smiled and stood up, offering his hand to Isa. "We all should head home and get to sleep."

Zexion walked over when he realized everyone was about to leave and stood beside Aeleus' chair. "Ready to pay?"

Isa nodded and grabbed his lover's hand. "Thank you, Norty..."

Xehanort frowned and looked down at Isa. "I thought I told you not to call me that around the others." he grumbled.

Isa blushed lightly and leaned on the tan man. "I'm sorry Xehanort; I must be professional at all times." He joked.

Aeleus laughed at the two then turned to look at Zexion. "Oh um yeah." he pulled out his wallet and pulled out a twenty and handed it to the boy. "Keep the change." he whispered.

"Thanks." Zexion turned to go and Isa pulled on Xehanort's arm whispering something into his ear.

The tan man smirked and hurried his lover out of the bar. Aeleus watched as his coworkers left then started walking after the teen. He grabbed Zexion's arm to stop him.

"Is...there something else you needed, sir?" Zexion turned and looked up at the tall man.

"Yes actually…" Aeleus scooped the boy up by his waist and carried him into the back hallway. "I need you."

Zexion blushed and put his hands on Aeleus' shoulders. "Ah, you...uh..."

"You tease me too much Zexion." he said with a smile. "This dress looks so cute on you..." he breathed against Zexion's neck.

"I guess I reached my goal, then." Zexion whispered and bit his lip. "I thought you might like it..."

"I do." he whispered and set the boy down on the ground. "Will you come to my place tonight?" he asked and ran a hand down the boy's side. "Do you need a ride?"

"O-of course...I just need to change out of the dress." Zexion backed towards the dressing room. "I should only be a little bit."

Aeleus tilted his head to the side with a smirk. "Why not keep it on?" he asked and followed the boy.

"Because..." Zexion started and raised an eyebrow. "If I leave it on, what then?"

"You look cute in it." he said with a smile. "Is that a bad thing?"

Zexion smiled. "No, I think I look cute in it too." He turned and opened the door to the dressing room. "Just let me grab my clothes."

"Is it alright that I'm making you leave early?" he asked and leaned against the wall to wait for Zexion.

"I'm sure Axel won't mind." The boy slipped into the dressing room. "He might even close early tonight anyway."

Aeleus crossed his arms. "Mind telling me why?"

"There's...a new friend we've acquired...about a couple of hours ago." Zexion said as he folded his clothing.

"A new friend?" he asked and pushed away from the wall. "Are they like you?"

"Mm." The teen came out of the dressing room and closed the door behind him. "I told you about hunter's...didn't I?"

"A little, yes." he said and stepped towards the teen then put an arm around his waist.

"Well...this one has been running from them, for quite a bit. Axel told him he could rest here, with no trouble." He leaned on the older man. "Plus, now that they've met, he has to protect him to the best of his ability." Zexion smiled.

"Protect him? Are they in love?" he asked and led the boy back to the front of the cafe.

"I guess that's what you could say." The teen looked up. "They...are mates... to put it simply."

Aeleus looked down at the boy. "Mates? Do vampires mate for life then?"

"They have the privilege to feed from each other...and be satisfied, as if they drank from a human."

Aeleus smiled. "So if you found a mate you wouldn't have to kill humans?" he asked softly as they walked out of the cafe.

Zexion nodded and bit his lip. "Yeah." He spoke quietly and pulled away from Aeleus. "I'm going to tell Axel, that I'm leaving early."

"Oh, alright." he said and let the boy go.

Zexion approached the bar slowly. "Axel...Is it ok if I leave early?" He bit his lip.

"Leave early?" Axel looked at the boy then out over the nearly empty restaurant. "Yeah sure, I might close soon if no one else come in." he said looking back at the boy. "Hey, you ok?"

"Huh?" Zexion looked confused for a moment. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine! I just..." He glanced in Aeleus' direction. "I-I don't know if I can do it." The teen said quietly.

"Do what?" he asked and leaned on the bar counter top.

"I'm...worried that I won't be able to handle..." He blushed slightly and tugged at his dress. "He wants it, and I want it...and-"

"Oh... I get it." Axel vaulted himself over the bar to stand next to the boy. "Zexion... Relax. He's your mate, and he'll be gentle."

"This'd be just so much easier if he would just ask me to change him..." Zexion bit his lip. "This is so hard..."

"Relax." he repeated. "It's not an easy choice for him, let him have some time."

"I know..." He hugged Axel. "Thanks." Zexion let go of his pseudo-sire. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Axel patted the boy's head. "Yeah I'll see you tomorrow." he said and pushed Zexion towards the door. "Now go on he's waiting."

The teen nodded and walked over to Aeleus. "He said I could go!" Zexion smiled and grabbed the older man's arm.

The human smiled and pulled the boy closer. "Good. Let's go then."

Zexion closed his eyes and leaned on the man. "So how was work?" He asked quietly.

"It was fine." he said looking down at the boy. "Missed you though. It was my idea to come here tonight. I wanted to see you."

Zexion laughed. "Was it now?" He looked up. "Where else do you guys eat?"

"Oh just other places. None as good as The Inferno." he said with a laugh.

"Well we are a rather different kind of place to eat." The teen sighed and licked his lips and looked ahead to Aeleus' car.

"Yeah. The Inferno has the sexiest waitresses." he said and pulled out his keys.

Zexion blushed and pulled the human down for a quick kiss. "Too bad, that's not your thing." He whispered.

"I think I can make an exception for cute cross dressing boys." he whispered against his lips.

"Hmm..." The vampire smiled. "I think so too." He giggled and kissed Aeleus again.

Aeleus smiled as he kissed the boy back and moved closer to the car.

Zexion nibbled on his lips and pulled himself closer, wrapping his arms around the policeman's neck.

Aeleus wrapped an arm around the boy's waist and carried him to his car. He pushed his tongue into Zexion's mouth and unlocked the car.

"Mm..." The boy moaned into the kiss and wrapped his legs around his waist and pressed his tongue against the invading tongue.

Aeleus moaned into the kiss then pulled away. "We can't do this here..." he said as he stared into the boy's eyes. "Let me take you home..."

Zexion nodded and let go of Aeleus. "I guess we get ahead of ourselves too quickly."

"It's easy to do around you." he whispered as he ran a hand down his side.

The vampire blushed and pulled away. "The longer we mess around out here the longer it takes to get home." He moved to the other side of the car and opened the door.

Aeleus shook his head. "Right." he said and climbed into the car.

"I love you, Aeleus..." Zexion slipped into the car and crossed his legs. "I really love you."

The man looked over at Zexion and smiled. "I love you too Zexion." he said softly.

The vampire smiled and sucked in his lower lip. "You'll have to be careful with this dress I'm wearing."

Aeleus started the car and pulled away from the curb. "Is it expensive?" he asked and glanced at him.

"It probably is but it's...old. It belongs to Namine; she'd kill me if it was damaged." Zexion grinned.

"Ah. I take Namine is another friend of yours that's like you?" he asked.

The teen nodded. "Yeah...she's one of Axel's." Zexion tilted his head back and rubbed the back of his neck. "Have you thought about it at all?"

Aeleus frowned. "I have... a little." he mumbled. "It's a huge change for me."

"It was a huge change for me." Zexion sighed. "I can't wait for your answer." He smiled and closed his eyes.

"What if it's the answer you don't want?" he asked and glanced at the boy again.

It took a while for the vampire to respond. "I want… what you want." He answered quietly.

Aeleus sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "No you don't Zexion. I can tell when you look at me. You want me with you forever."

Zexion bit his lip. "I...want...what you want, Aeleus." He repeated quietly.

The man sighed and the rest of the car ride was silence. He pulled up to his condo and shut off the car.

The teen got out of the car and closed his eyes. "Aeleus." He turned and looked at him with a smile playing at his lips. "You know how hard it is to breathe in a corset?"

"Probably very hard, but you're not going to change the subject." he said when he got out of the car. He shut the door and locked it. "Come on let's get inside."

Zexion bit his lip and nodded. "Ok..." He whispered and headed towards the door. He had completely ruined the moment with a stupid question.

Aeleus put his arm around the boy's waist and opened the front door. "Calm down I just want to talk."

The vampire bit his lip and nodded some more. "I understand." He nodded slowly.

"Remember that dream you said you had about a boy named Robbie?" he said and led him up the stairs.

Zexion nodded. "Of course. I remember...everything I dream about." The vampire looked up.

"Robbie was my big brother." he said and pulled Zexion into his bedroom.

"He was killed by the man in the dream..." The teen sighed sadly. "I'm sorry..."

"Yeah... Killed in front of me." he said and sat down on the bed.

The boy straddled his hips and leaned his head against his chest. "So...I saw it through your eyes."

"Yeah." he said and held the vampire close. "It's the whole reason I became a cop. To catch people like that and stop things like that from happening."

"We aren't...we aren't like that." The boy whispered. "We need what we take...if we don't then we die."

"I know..." he whispered softly, and caressed Zexion's back. "It's just... killing to live..."

"You remember what I said about mates?" He tried not to cry. "If...if you find a mate...you'll be able to live without killing another human..."

"I suppose that's a good thing." He lifted Zexion's head and frowned. "Hey...Don't cry." he whispered and wiped away the tears.

"I...I just want you to be happy, and I do want to be with you..." Zexion whispered.

"Well what would happen if I decided to say yes? What would happen to my human life?"

"...Whatever you wanted I suppose...I mean...I had no choice but to shed my identity. I was dead and in a morgue, I was found before I woke up." Zexion bit his lip. "If you still wanted to continue what you're doing...you could."

"But you look different from when you were a human. And I wouldn't age." he said with a sigh.

"Change could be dramatic or not so much..." Zexion closed his eyes. "You can bend your age for quite a time. Your friends think I'm at least 21 and...if I perfect my power I could...age you for your friends."

"Perfect your power?" he asked. "What's that mean?"

"I have power of illusion as well as dreaming the nightmares of others." Zexion took his hand. "Right now all I can do is think and make it different." He placed Aeleus' hand to his face and closed his eyes, thinking of himself as Namine. "I think once I get better at it. I don't have to be around to keep the illusion up." He glanced at his now long, pale blond hair.

Aeleus gasped and pulled away from Zexion. "So... is that how you made your wings that night?"

"Yes. I didn't really know how to present myself to you..." The boy kept his voice. "Is...this frightening, to you?"

"A little." he said taking a deep breath. "But... I think that I would love spending eternity with you."

Zexion dropped the illusion. "Oh, I would love to spend eternity with you." He smiled and leaned back, his wrists at Aeleus' shoulders.

"But not just yet. I have to think about giving up my human life all together."

Zexion nodded with a satisfied smile. "Y'know...If you do ask...I would be leaving a permanent scar on you, nothing horrific mind you...all vampires have them somewhere." He whispered and looked into his eyes.

"A scar huh? I suppose if it's from you that would be ok." he said

Zexion glanced to his left wrist, clothed in a white band with red frills at the end, like the dress. "That's mine, there. It's best to keep them hidden-so that hunters don't identify you so quickly."

"Oh... Hmm..." he thought for a minute. "Where should I have mine?"

"I'll bite you wherever you want." Zexion began to unbutton the older man's shirt and tilted his head to the side. "And I'll let you drink my blood...wherever you want."

"Hmm..." Aeleus tilted his head to the side. "Then you'd have to be my mate."

"Not necessarily..." He bit his lip. "In order for you to become like me..." The teen undid more buttons. "You'll have to drink my blood. If you asked Axel, you'd have to drink his blood after he drained you, Namine's...it's just whatever vampire you ask."

"Oh... alright then I can't wait to taste it." he breathed and moved his hands to Zexion's back.

"It'll be the sweetest thing you'll ever taste..." Zexion leaned forward and kissed his chest.

Aeleus pulled at the strings and untied the corset of Zexion's dress. "I love you Zexion."

The boy let out a gust of extra air that he had been allowed to breathe, now that the corset was no longer confining his lungs. "I love you..." He kissed him again and trailed his fingers down his chest, smiling at the ripple of toned abs.

Aeleus moaned softly and reached down to lift up Zexion's dress.

The vampire drifted to a hardened nipple and gently nipped at it, flicking his tongue against the pink nub.

"Mmm... That feels good." he breathed and closed his eyes as his hand ran up Zexion's leg.

"Mmm..." The teen ran a circular pattern around Aeleus' nipple and nipped playfully again. His other hand stayed where it had stopped, clutching the edge of his shirt.

Aeleus pushed the boy away the moved him so that Zexion was laying on his back and he was leaning over the boy.

Zexion looked up at Aeleus and dropped his hands to his sides. "What do you want...?"

"I want you... That is if you'll give yourself to me." he breathed and ran a hand up Zexion's side.

The vampire closed his eyes. "I give...myself to you..." He whispered quietly, between breaths and looked back up.

Aeleus stared at the boy and smiled. "Are you sure?" he asked quietly.

Zexion nodded slightly and reached for Aeleus' cheek. "...I'm sure. I want you."

Aeleus smiled and leaned down to kiss the boy softly. "I'll be gentle."

Zexion kissed him back and wrapped his arms around his neck. "Remember to deter me from biting you..." He whispered against his lips in a joking tone.

Aeleus chuckled and leaned down to kiss his neck. "Sure."

The vampire licked his neck and nuzzled the hollow base. He let his hands shyly reach for his pants.

Aeleus pulled back and lifted up the skirting of the dress.

Zexion suddenly realized he'd have to get out of the dress if he were going to get anywhere, down this new path and arched his back and raised his hands above his head.

Aeleus carefully lifted the dress from Zexion's body. He stared at the boy. "You look gorgeous."

The teen looked away, blushing and let out a small breath of embarrassment. "Being a vampire helps."

"You were gorgeous when you were a human too." he said and ran a hand down Zexion's bare chest.

The boy withheld his thoughts and bit his lip as he slowly arched to the touch.

"You look so beautiful." he whispered and leaned down to lick at his chest.

Zexion whimpered slightly and held on to Aeleus' shoulders, a slight chill running down his spine.

"You taste good." he chuckled and bit down on one of Zexion's nipples.

The vampire gasped and twisted under the older man. "You tease me..." He whispered.

"You tease me too Zexion." he breathed and ran his hand down the boy's chest to his crotch.

"Mmn..." Zexion closed his eyes and bit his lip, his hands gravitating back to his lover's pants. He thumbed the button.

Aeleus shifted so that Zexion could easily remove his pants, and he kept his lips to the chest.

The boy quickly unbuttoned the pants and slid them down as far as he could. "Aeleus..." He whispered in want.

Aeleus sat up and looked into Zexion's eyes. "I love you." he said with a chuckle and kicked off his pants.

"I love you, too..." He tilted his head to the side and reached up to pull him into a kiss.

Aeleus pushed his tongue into the boy's mouth and ran his fingers down Zexion's length

Zexion rolled his tongue against Aeleus' and moaned into the kiss, bucking his hips for more of the touch.

Aeleus chuckled into the kiss and took the length into his hand and started to stroke.

The boy gasped into the kiss and held onto him tighter, nipping at the tongue.

Aeleus pulled out of the kiss and smiled down at the boy.

"Aeleus..." Zexion whined slightly and bit his lip. "I..." He placed his hands on the man's hips. "Please..."

"You want more?" Aeleus smirked and moved his hand faster.

The teen whimpered and slowly nodded. "I...I think I'm ready..." He said quietly.

The human reached over to the side table and pulled out a bottle of lotion. He lifted Zexion's legs and opened the bottle.

Zexion instantly wrapped his legs around Aeleus' waist instinctively and wrapped his arms around his neck. "I love you." he whispered.

The man smiled and pressed closer to the boy. "I love you too." he breathed as spread some lotion over his fingers and pushed one into the boy.

The vampire let out a whisper of a whimper and pulled Aeleus into a slow kiss.

Aeleus kissed the boy back and carefully pushed another finger into the boy.

Zexion let out a louder whine and ran his tongue against the elder man's lips.

Aeleus moaned into the kiss and pulled out slightly. "Are you ok? Am I moving too fast?"

The boy licked his lips and tilted his head back with a blush. "I-I'm not an experienced bedmate..." He mumbled as if that explained everything.

"I know." he chuckled. "Just relax and tell me if I'm hurting you." he said and pushed his fingers deeper.

Zexion's small hands slipped to the man's shoulders and he closed his eyes in an attempt to hide the otherwise apparent discomfort.

The man bit his lip and stretched the boy with his fingers and added a third.

The slate-haired teen squeezed his hands and took in a sharp gasp, casting a shade of pink on his cheeks.

"Too much? Does it hurt?" he asked and pulled his fingers back a little.

Zexion looked up at his lover and shook his head. "I'm...fine..." He whispered. "I-I'm just not used to it."

"Are you sure?" he asked and pushed his fingers back in.

The young vampire nodded his head quickly. "Sure..." He whispered and bit the inside of his lip, gently.

Aeleus stretched the boy slowly and started to move his fingers in and out. "How's that feel?"

The boy let out a breathless laugh. "Di...different." He relaxed and ran his tongue against the edge of his teeth.

Aeleus licked his lips and pushed deeper and moved the tips of his fingers around.

"Ah!" The boy tensed for a second and he wasn't sure what had happened, his eyes wide in wonder of why he had momentarily lost vision.

Aeleus smirked and looked into Zexion's eyes. "And how did that feel?"

"Whatever you did...that felt good." The boy flushed and looked away bashfully.

He smirked and brushed his fingers against the spot again and leaned down to lick at Zexion's neck.

The teen moaned and tightened his grip on the human, closing his eyes at getting past the odd sensation to this new, exciting one.

Aeleus pulled his fingers out and rubbed some lotion on his length as he nipped at the boy's throat.

Zexion exposed more of his neck and let out a wanting whimper, wishing it were more than a simple nip.

"I love you Zexion..." he said softly and pushed into the teen.

The boy moaned out and held onto his lover tightly, biting his lip. "I l-love you too, Aeleus..."

He pushed all the way into Zexion and lifted his head to look into his eyes. "You're perfect..." he whispered and brushed their lips together.

Zexion pulled the human closer and pressed their lips together and arched his back. "Aeleus..." He whispered.

"Yes Zexion?" he breathed and wrapped his arms around the boy.

"It's..." He started but stopped. "Y-you're-ah...Hurts." The boy whined pathetically.

The man gasped and pulled out carefully. "I'm sorry." he said quickly and kissed him.

Zexion kissed him back and barely shook his head. "No, don't apologize." Zexion felt like his nerves were feeling the slightest movement, touch. His senses had heightened.

"I don't want to hurt you." he breathed and caressed the boy's cheek.

The vampire looked into his eyes and licked his lips. "I'll be fine..." He whispered and ran his hands through the dark curls. "I don't want to make this awkward..."

"You're so beautiful." he whispered and pushed into the boy again slowly.

Zexion felt more relaxed and leaned back into the bed, his hands traveling slowly down his chest. "You're...wonderful..." He spoke quietly.

Aeleus pressed closer to the boy and kissed his neck softly. "I'll try to be gentler."

The boy nodded slightly, dragging his nails across his abs. "I'm sure I'll get used to it." He whispered playfully.

"I'm sure you will too... It's hard to keep my hands off of you as it is." he said and pushed all of the way into him.

Zexion bit his lip and closed his eyes tightly, curing his hands into slight fists, not because of the pain, but the feeling of if he denied what the vampire wanted most from him.

"I love you." he breathed and put his arms around the boy's waist.

"I love you too, Aeleus..." Zexion dragged his nails up the older man's waist and tilted his head to the side to expose more of his neck.

Aeleus nipped at the boy's neck and started moving his hips slowly.

Zexion gasped quietly and placed a hand on the back of the man's neck his other hand running through his thick curls.

"How's that feel?" he asked quietly and kept up a slow but steady pace.

"G-good..." He closed his eyes started to get used to his lover's size and draped his arms across Aeleus' shoulders.

"That's good..." he gasped out and shifted so he could push into the boy easier, wanting to go faster.

Zexion tilted his lover's face up to his own and bushed his lips against the others. "I want you with me forever..." He breathed.

The human chuckled. "I already said that I would let you change me... Just not yet though."

The vampire didn't understand, but he kissed the man passionately. Why was he making him wait?

He kissed the youth back and pushed into him roughly.

"Nya!" The boy gasped into the kiss in surprise, digging his nails into Aeleus' back as he arched his own.

Aeleus nipped at the boy's lips and continued with his movements and rubbed Zexion's hip with his hand.

"Mm..." He twisted out of the kiss and tilted his head away. "Ah, Aeleus, I love you..." The boy whispered.

Aeleus pulled back to stare down at the boy. "I love you too Zexion." he breathed and took Zexion's erection in his hand.

Zexion pulled his lover back into a kiss, smashing their lips together as he moaned.

The older man shoved his tongue into Zexion's mouth and let out a low moan as he ran his thumb over the tip.

The teen nipped at the intruding tongue and pushed back on it. He lifted his hips to the touch and whined.

Aeleus pulled out of the kiss and kissed down to Zexion's neck. "I want to hear you..."

"Eh?" The boy glanced to his lover with half-lidded eyes and kept his hands on his shoulders.

Aeleus buried his face into the boy's neck as he pushed deeper attempting to hit Zexion's sweet spot again

The vampire let out a short, quick moan and bit his lip, dragging his nails across his back, when Aeleus had hit his mark.

The man smirked and moved his lips up to Zexion's ear. "Right there?"

The boy nodded and closed his eyes. "Right there." He echoed and kissed his neck.

Aeleus smirked and started to thrust into the boy harder. "I love you." he breathed as he tilted his head to the side.

Zexion held onto the man and let out small soft moans as he continued to kiss him, this time running his teeth along the human's clavicle.

Aeleus moaned softly and pressed himself closer to the boy. "That... feels good..."

Zexion smiled and nipped his adam's apple. "I love you..." He whispered and moved back to a hollow part above the bone.

Aeleus shivered and continued his thrusts. He moved the hand that was on Zexion's length faster.

The vampire nuzzled the spot he was over and licked at it. "You smell...amazing..." He whispered.

Aeleus closed his eyes and held Zexion closer. "Zexion..." he moaned softly as he started to push deeper.

"Ah...?" Zexion glanced up at him with half-lidded eyes, his mouth slightly open, fangs barely visible.

He stared at Zexion's fangs before pressing their lips together. He licked at the pointed teeth and moaned into the kiss.

"Mmh-!" He kissed him back and gripped his shoulders, climaxing, yet not feeling fully satisfied.

Aeleus pushed into the boy deeply and released before pulled away slightly.

Zexion wrapped his arms around Aeleus as he continued the kiss and kept his hold on him tight.

Aeleus smirked into the kiss and pulled back and out of the boy. "How are you feeling?"

The vampire licked his lips and reached for his neck. "More..." He whispered, staring into his lover's eyes.

Aeleus pulled back and sat up. "No Zexion. Not yet." he felt a pain in his chest; it killed him to deny the boy what he wanted so badly.

Zexion growled quietly and kept his hands on his shoulders. "Why not...?"

"I still have a few things I want to do." he caressed the boy's cheek, then he had an idea. "You just can't bite me right? Or I'll die?"

The teen closed his eyes and let go of Aeleus in resignation, nodding. "Poison comes from the fangs..." He sighed and relaxed.

Aeleus smiled and brushed some sweat soaked hair out of Zexion's eyes. "Ok, just rest here for a minute." he said and stood up to grab some pajama pants.

The teen bit his lip, after trying to move a little from his position and let out a small whimper. He let out a deep breath and looked from his vantage point wondering where exactly Namine's dress had landed.

"Shh..." Aeleus walked back over to the bed after he pulled some pants on and brushed some of Zexion's hair back to kiss his forehead. "Don't move Zexion."

The vampire only felt like squirming more with that kind of command. He felt foolish for not thinking ahead and keeping the blood he had taken over earlier and keeping it here, just in case.

Aeleus walked out of the room and went downstairs to the kitchen. He bit his lip then grabbed a knife from the knife set. He grabbed a glass from the cupboard. He slid the blade over his wrist and let out a hiss as the blood spilled into the glass. He dropped the knife into the sink and went to a bathroom to wrap his wrist in gauze. He grabbed the glass and hurried back up to the bedroom.

Zexion ran his hand through is hair and frowned, feeling the dampness of his hair.

Aeleus sat down on the bed and smiled at the vampire. "I got you something."

The teen looked up at Aeleus and licked his lips, his lover's scent had intensified, and it made him even hungrier. Then he realized what the human had brought.

"Here." he said and put the glass into Zexion's hand. "Now you don't have to bite me, but you can still taste me."

The boy held onto the glass and slowly tipped it to his lips, not bothering to ask any questions, just happy that he could have it. When the warm blood passed his lips his eyes slipped closed and he let out a desirable sound.

Aeleus smiled and laid down rubbing his sore wrist.

Zexion finished off the glass and licked his lips, it wasn't much, but he definitely felt better. "I was wrong," He whispered, setting the glass on the side table and pulled Aeleus close. "You taste like nothing I could ever describe..." The vampire nuzzled his neck. "You're lucky I'm not greedy..."

Aeleus chuckled and pulled the boy closer. "You can have more another day." he said and nuzzled the top of his head.

Zexion kissed the spot he favored most of Aeleus' neck and glanced to the bandaged wrist. "How will you explain what you've done for me to your colleagues?"

"I fell." he said softly. "I can hide it... It was worth it."

"Hm." Zexion closed his eyes and fell back onto the bed. He disliked being baited like this, but Aeleus had done him a favor.

"Let's get some sleep now shall we?" he asked and closed his eyes.

The vampire nodded and took a deep breath. "...Thank you, Aeleus."

Aeleus nodded and kissed the boy's cheek.


	12. Hunter A La Carte - Extra Crispy

Chapter 12

Roxas twisted around in his position where he lay and pulled the blanket that was draped over him closer. Then he realized he had allowed himself to fall asleep and got up abruptly, eyes wide, searching for the hunter he usually woke up to.

Axel glanced at the boy in the mirror of his vanity and smiled. "Hey relax. You're safe here." He said and stood up.

The blond vampire blinked and then things slowly came back to him. "It's not a feeling I'm...accustomed to." He pushed himself off the couch.

Axel smiled and walked over to the boy. "We should get home so we can get some blood into you." he said and touched the boy's hand.

Roxas shied from the touch and bit his lip. "...Home?" He looked up, slightly confused.

"Yes, home." he said softly. Axel took the boy's hand into his own and squeezed.

"Home." He echoed and stared at his hand that was connected to Axel's. "Your home."

"Our home." he said and lifted Roxas' hand to kiss it.

The younger vampire nodded slowly and blinked out a tear and quickly wiped it away, hoping the taller one wouldn't notice. "Ok...let's go."

Axel cupped Roxas' cheek with his free hand and kissed his temple. "Don't cry." he breathed.

_'I'm not crying.'_ Roxas sucked on his lower lip and looked away, his eyes beginning to well up.

He took Roxas face in his hands and wiped away the tears. "You have somewhere you belong now, you should be happy."

"I am." Roxas whispered quietly. "It's just...I've never stayed in one place, for very long, even when I was human..."

"Well let's go home and you can tell me all about it." he said softly and kissed the boy gently.

The blond hugged onto Axel tightly and nodded. "Take me..." He whispered and closed his eyes.

Axel smiled and lifted the boy into his arms. "I love you Roxas." he whispered and carried him out of the building.

"I..." He looked up. "I love you too." The words seemed foreign to his mouth, as if he had trouble getting it out.

Axel looked down at the boy and set him down when he reached his car. "This probably seems to be moving very fast for you doesn't it?"

Roxas blushed and nodded. "I-It does...just a bit. But...I've never used that particular set of words before."

"Never?" he tilted his head to the side. "How old are you Roxas?" he asked.

"Fif...fifty-three..." He seemed flustered now and wouldn't look at Axel.

"Oh wow, you are young." he laughed and ruffled the boy's hair. "When were you changed?"

The blond bit the edge of his lip in thought . "Uh...I think...thirty-six years ago?" He shook his head. "Seems longer than that..."

Axel unlocked his car and opened Roxas' door for him. "If you think thirty years is a long time then you're in for a long life."

"Well if you've run as long as I have, it would feel long too..." Roxas slipped into the car and slunk into the seat.

"2005." Axel said with a smirk before he shut the door, and walked over to his side of the car. He got in and started the car.

Roxas waited until Axel had opened his own door. "Five years ago, what about it?"

"No. Not five. Two thousand and five. That's my age." he said with a smirk.

Roxas closed his eyes. "I would think that age loses meaning after that long of a time."

"I like to remember my years. Keep a sense of what I have left of my mortality. To keep a sense of who I am." he said and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Mortality...? I guess so." Roxas turned in his seat. "I was an orphan, and then I was left to grow up in foster homes."

"Oh well that's sad... I'm sorry." he whispered and reached over to take Roxas' hand in his own.

"No, what's sad was that I went through 32 of them before I finally ran off." He pulled his hand from Axel's reach.

Axel frowned and took back his hand. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you." he said softly.

Roxas shook his head and crossed his arms. "I'm not offended, this is just too...too different."

"Oh… Then I suppose you'll want to sleep in a bed to yourself then?" he asked quietly and kept his eyes on the road.

"...I'm not sure." Roxas said quietly. "I don't know." He bit his lip. "I'd be happy with a bed no matter what."

Axel pulled into the apartment's parking lot and turned off the car. "Here we are. It's not much, but..."

"It's more than what I've had for a long time." Roxas turned to him slightly. "Axel...I'm...I..." He closed his eyes.

Axel looked at the boy and caressed his cheek. "What's wrong?"

"Sorry..." The blond looked up. "I just don't know how to react too much..."

Axel smiled and climbed out of the car. He went to Roxas' side and helped him out. "I'm not looking for a big reaction."

"Then what are you looking for?" Roxas slowly raised his hands to Axel's shoulders. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore..."

"Nothing Roxas, I just want you to be happy." he said and put an arm around Roxas' waist.

"I can try...if that's what you want?" Roxas pulled himself closer and clasped his hands together behind Axel's neck.

"That's all I want. Your happiness." he whispered and leaned down to kiss the boy gently. "I want you to be happy with me."

The blue-eyed vampire bit his lip. "I've never been happy."

"Well I hope that I can make you happy." he said and moved Roxas into the apartment building.

"Are you afraid of something?" The younger vampire asked suddenly and looked up.

Axel looked down at the boy. "I am. The hunters are close and I don't want them to find you."

"Close?" Roxas narrowed his eyes. "How close?" He held onto his mate tightly.

"They're in town, that's enough for me to worry about your safety." he said and kissed Roxas' temple.

"I know they're in town, Axel. I'm their...toy!" Roxas frowned and began to pull away.

"Their toy?" He held out to the younger vampire. "How are you their toy?"

The blond held onto his arm. "You know...fetch right?" He whispered and looked away.

"Yes of course but why does that have anything to do with you?"

"I'm...the stick." He shook his head. "I run, Seifer fetches."

Axel stared down at the boy and frowned. "You're nobodies stick, Roxas." he whispered and ran a hand through the blond hair. "And they will never get to you again."

"Forgive me if I don't feel instantaneous relief..." Roxas murmured and leaned into Axel. "I've been the stick for years."

Axel frowned and lifted Roxas into his arms and carried him up the stairs and into his apartment.

"I'm terrified about sleeping, but I feel like I can sleep around you." He looked up and touched his cheek. "I feel safe with you around. I guess that makes me happy?"

"Feeling safe and being happy are different." Axel said and carried Roxas into his bedroom and laid him down on the bed,

Roxas held onto Axel's arm. "Don't leave me alone." He bit his lip. "I want you around if I fall asleep again."

"I'll never leave you alone. I'll always be here with you, whenever you fall asleep and whenever you wake up." he said and lay down next to the boy.

"...Thanks." Roxas closed his eye and hugged onto his arm, biting his lip. "If I had known I would spend my life continuously running...I would have never asked." He whispered.

"But then you wouldn't have met me." he said softly and wrapped an arm around the blond.

"You mean you wouldn't have met me." The younger vampire clenched his hand to a fist. "Whatever you do...don't try biting me."

Axel bit his lip. "And why not?" he asked and ran his fingers down Roxas' back.

"Because you'll probably kill me." He whispered and twisted to his side, still holding onto his arm.

"How would my biting you kill you?" he asked and continued to run his fingers of Roxas' body.

"Because..." He opened an eye to look at the redhead. "I'm poisoned." The blond bit his lip again.

Axel sat up quickly, worry in his eyes. "Poisoned? How are you poisoned?"

"I can't heal; I learned that the hard way the first time I played the role of stick." Roxas closed his eyes again.

"You can't heal?" Axel stared at the ground and sighed. He looked back at the blond. "We can find a healer." he said. "To get that poison out of your body. And then I'll kill the ones who poisoned you."

"This poison doesn't last long..." The blond clutched at his arm in pain. "It just hurts like hell when it finally gets out of my system..."

Axel rested his hand on Roxas' arm. "How long does it last?"

"Two days...at the most." Roxas stifled a whimper and blushed, though he couldn't tell why.

"How painful is it for you?" he whispered and ran his fingers down to Roxas' wrist.

"Enough to make me stop running." The blond pushed his head back into the bed. "At least this part doesn't take long..." He whispered.

Axel looked into Roxas' eyes and frowned. "Is it happening now?"

"No, I'm writhing in pain for the hell of it..." Roxas laughed weakly and quickly looked away. "I don't usually do this with an audience."

Axel bit his lip then moved so he was sitting with his back resting on the pillows and pulled Roxas into his lap. "I'm sorry; I can't leave you here in pain alone."

The blue-eyed vampire blushed again and he finally realized that he was embarrassed, allowing himself to look so weak in front of a seemingly very important individual.

Axel ran his hand up and down Roxas' back and kissed the top of his head. "I love you."

Roxas buried his face into Axel's chest, the only way he could attempt to hide his tears. _'I should be used to this by now…'_

"Used to pain?" Axel chuckled and wove his fingers into the blond hair. "That's not something I would expect."

'_I do this about 3 times a week...for goddess knows how long…' _Roxas' body shook, most likely from the crying than from the pain.

Axel tilted Roxas face up and licked away the tears. "And now you never have to do it again. Because I'm going to kill the bastard who did this."

"Leon..." The young vampire whispered and hugged onto the redhead. "That's the one."

Axel held the boy close and rested his head on top of Roxas'. "Everything will be ok now."

Roxas sat silent for a moment and raised his hand to his face and bit his finger, then sucked on it to heal it. He checked the progress and let out a sigh of relief.

"Is everything ok?" Axel asked and looked down at the boy.

"It's slow but I can heal." Roxas looked up. "The poison's gone finally."

Axel smiled. "You must be tired." he said and laid the boy down.

The blond raised his hand up. "You want it, I've taken yours, you should want mine, right?"

Axel bit his lip and took Roxas' hand in his own. "Of course I want yours but… aren't you tired?"

The blond rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Tired isn't really a feeling I pay much attention to. I usually just let myself pass out if I get 'tired'." He laughed and closed his eyes.

Axel nodded and looked at the boy's wrist, then moved his line of sight to his neck. He leaned forward and kissed the boy's throat.

Roxas tilted his head to the side and raised his hands to Axel's shoulders, slowly letting his hands travel up his neck and into his hair.

_'You have such a beautiful neck Roxas.' _Axel bit into the blond neck slowly and let out a muffled groan when the blood hit his tongue.

The teenaged vampire curled his fingers in the mass of red hair and let out a half-surprised moan. "...Just my neck...?"

_'Everything.' _he ran his hands down to Roxas' ass and squeezed. He took another gulp and pulled Roxas closer.

"Ah!" the younger vampire blushed and tugged gently on a bit of Axel's hair.

Axel sucked one more mouthful into his mouth and pulled back to lick at the wound as it healed.

The blond let go of Axel, still blushing and began to twist in an effort to have his body face his mate. "You're bold." He stated simply.

"What makes you say that?" he asked and ran his hands up Roxas' back.

"What would happen if I didn't reciprocate the feelings you have for me?" Roxas placed his hands on the elder vampires' hips.

"I would go into a deep pit of depression." he said and caressed the boy's cheek.

"Then...you'll just have to try and win me over." Roxas came close to his face. "Instant love makes me wary."

"You mean to say that I haven't already?" he chuckled with a smile.

The younger vampire raised an eyebrow. "I haven't decided how I've felt about you yet." Roxas began to pull away. "And no, not yet."

Axel smirked. "I suppose I can take the time to make you fall in love with me the old fashioned way."

"I suppose you can." Roxas placed his hands in his lap. "It's truly a learning experience." He cocked his head to the side.

"Can you at least tell me how you feel for me right now?" he asked and rubbed Roxas' back.

The blond closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "How I feel for you, or feelings I feel around you?"

"Let's go with both." he said and laid the boy down, keeping him in his arms.

"Frightened, vulnerable, weak...yet relieved and somewhat safe." The blue-eyed vampire continued. "Confused, annoyed..." He opened his eyes and paused. "I think you're dangerous; not very trustworthy. But as I've said...I'm not sure what to think of you since I can be just as dangerous and deceitful."

"Well I'll have to admit that I am dangerous, but only to others. You can trust me Roxas." he whispered and cupped the boy's cheek pulling his face closer.

"You remind me of a character from a storybook I read when I was a child." He whispered.

"Oh?" he stared into Roxas' eyes. "And what storybook might that be?"

"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." The blond returned the intense gaze. "Have you read it before?"

"I have. Quite a few times actually. Who do I remind you of?" he asked.

"The Cheshire Cat. Out of everyone in Wonderland, he was the only one that made sense to me. Though he was the most confusing at times." Roxas closed his eyes.

Axel laughed and kissed the boy quickly. "So I'm confusing, but I make sense at the same time?"

"Exactly." The blond bit his lip. "I feel that I can't trust you, but then I feel that I can...all at the same time. It's very annoying."

"Well then why not just take a gamble and trust me?" He asked.

"You seem to be the only thing to trust around, you don't want to kill me and I don't want to kill you." Roxas looked away. "Based on words alone I should trust you, but I feel that would be too quick of decision."

"Then take all the time you want. We have all eternity." he said before pressing their lips together.

Roxas slowly kissed him back and pulled himself closer to the redhead. Axel moaned into the kiss as he pushed his tongue into the younger ones mouth. He rolled Roxas on to his back and leaned over him. The blond pushed back on the intruding tongue instinctively and placed his hands on Axel's shoulders.

Axel pulled out of the kissed and smiled down at Roxas. "I want to touch you, Roxas."

The teen looked away with a blush. "Touch me...how?" He whispered.

Axel chuckled and ran and hand down to Roxas hips. "Like this." he whispered cupping the boy's crotch.

The blond tensed and closed his eyes. "So that's what you want...?"

Axel took back his hand. "Not if you don't want it..." he bit his lip worried he had angered the blond.

"At least...you're asking..." Roxas looked to the side and sighed.

"What are you implying?" he asked and moved Roxas' head back towards him.

"Nothing I'd like to recount." The younger vampire stared at Axel as if he was trying to get a glimpse of his soul.

Axel sat up his fist twisting the blankets in rage. "Who was is? I hope they're still alive so I can kill them!"

Roxas shook his head. "I told you 32 homes, right? Take your pick of sordid lifestyles-each one had something worse than the last."

"I have the time to track them all down. Tell me." he growled.

The blue-eyed vampire shook his head again. "I don't care about them, Axel. I would rather kill them myself then let you go off and do it." He raised himself up using his elbows. "Poetic justice, killing the one who wronged you in the same appearance of when they last saw you. Haunting them beyond hell. You wouldn't give them a good enough punishment if you did it yourself."

"It would make me feel better. The scum who touched you like that… They don't deserve the lives they were given." he muttered and stood up. "I need to burn something…."

"Burn something?" Roxas sat up in the bed. "Axel, it's not your problem." He reached for the elder vampire's arm.

Axel opened his hand and fire erupted from his palm. "Not my problem? Someone violates my mate and it's not my problem?" he growled.

"Agh." Roxas pulled his hand back, wary of getting caught in the redhead's fire. "Fine then, go and find something to burn, then. It's not going to make you feel any different."

The flames disappeared and the redhead sank to the floor leaning on the bed. "No. It wouldn't... killing someone would. Getting revenge would."

"But it's not your retribution..." Roxas crossed his arms and looked down. "I'll kill them when I feel like it Axel, it's not your choice."

Axel looked up over his shoulder at the boy. "Can I at least torture them a little?"

Roxas pushed off of the bed with a sigh. "I need to get out; I don't like staying still like this..." He murmured.

Axel stood up quickly. "You're going to leave? You should be resting."

"I just feel trapped right now; I need to take a walk." He kept his hand on the bedroom doorknob. "Just around the block."

Axel stepped over to the blond and took his hand in his own. "Promise me that you're coming back."

Roxas nodded. "Yeah, sure...I'll be back. I just need some air, five minutes." He shrugged and pulled the door open.

Axel let the boy go feeling dread at letting him leave. His heart started to ache. "Please be careful."

"I will, it's just around the block...I have to get used to sticking to one place, right?" The teenager lifted a half smile and headed for the front door.

"Do you have a cell phone? Can you call me if something happens?" he asked sticking his head out of the room.

"I'd need people to talk to, to need a cell-phone." Roxas lifted his arms, palms facing up. "And those crazy things have become so advanced it'd be easy to find me if I had one on me."

Axel sighed. "Then run back here if anything happens... I want to get you a cell phone." he muttered the last sentence.

"Sure." And with that Roxas left and headed out of the apartment, a blast of fresh air meeting his face and he sighed. He walked to an alley and leaned on the wall and ran a hand through is hair.

"Well, well, well, long time no see Roxas." a voice from the other end of the alley called out and Seifer stepped into the light.

The vampire turned to face his chaser and took a deep breath. "I'm done running, Seifer."

"Done running? So you're ready to give up and die then?" he asked walking closer to the vampire.

Roxas raised his hands up. "I am. Sorry I don't have a white flag for you." He took a deep breath, knowing how risky it was, pulling a move like this.

Seifer pulled a revolver from a holster on his hip and cocked it. "Not a very fun way to take you out but I'll take it." he said and stepped closer to the blond.

"Bloody fool." He whispered and a white light burst from both of his palms, effectively blinding the young hunter. He rushed towards him and grabbed the wrist that was holding the gun, pushing it skyward.

The gun went off and Seifer dropped it as his wrist was manhandled. He lifted his other hand to his eyes to rub them in pain. "Shit! Asshole!"

Roxas punched the human in the stomach. "I can't believe you! How can you be so stupid?" He hissed and shoved him hard against the alley wall.

Seifer gasped and doubled over in pain. He reached over and yanked back on Roxas' hair. "Wishful thinking!" he said and kneed Roxas in the stomach.

The vampire shouted out and backed away slightly before coming back at Seifer. "If I had known you would have fallen for this, I would have done it much earlier!" He growled out.

Seifer coughed and looked up. "What are you doing here, in a bunch of apartments? Looking for your next meal?"

"I was resting." Roxas narrowed his eyes. "Is this all you seriously have for me?"

"You're not the only one who's been tired." he muttered and pulled out another gun.

"Ah!" Roxas pushed Seifer away and dove for the dropped revolver and quickly turned to aim and shoot at his pursuer.

Seifer fired off a shot, hitting Roxas in the arm that held his lost revolver.

The vampire gasped and held onto his now wounded arm and he tried to shoot but his aim had been ruined. His attempt to get rid of Seifer was now gone and he could do nothing to stop him from killing him now.

Seifer took a step closer to Roxas and chuckled. "And now all that running and chasing ends." he raised the gun and placed the barrel on Roxas' forehead.

Flames came shooting from one end of the alley and pushed Seifer away from the blond vampire.

"What the hell?!" Seifer jumped back trying to avoid most of the flames.

"You touch him, you die. Got it memorized?" The red head growled and walked into the alley.

Roxas bit his lip and looked to Axel. ""I was hoping you would have followed me." He whispered and leaned against the alley wall.

Axel stepped closer to the boy and put an arm around his waist to support him. "I was debating it, then I heard the gunshots and came running."

"Didn't I tell you not to leave me alone?" The blond looked up. "I'm giving you trust."

"Well I was going to come after you... I just didn't want you to be mad." he said then looked back at the angry and slightly burnt hunter. "How do you like your hunters, Roxas? Well done...? Or crispy?"

"You said you wanted to burn something. I don't really care." Roxas shrugged and rubbed his slowly healing arm.

"Is the bullet still in your arm?" he asked softly, and raised a hand, ready to burn the hunter.

"I can dig it out later. I've been shot plenty of times." Roxas bit his lip and looked to Seifer. "I found a friend, do you like him?"

Seifer growled as he held onto his burnt upper arm. "He's charming... a complete flamer." he said with a laugh.

"What are you waiting for?" Roxas stood up on his own and pointed. "Like I said, Seifer, I'm done running."

Fire exploded for Axel's palm again and engulfed the blond hunter.

Seifer screamed in agony as the flames licked at his body and consumed him.

The younger vampire gasped as he dug his finger into his arm and tried pulling the bullet out.

Axel turned away from the human bonfire to help his mate. "You got it?" he asked softly.

The blond clenched his teeth and tilted his head back and pulled the offensive object and whimpered slightly. "I'm ready to stop doing that too..."

Axel smiled and lifted the boy's arm to lick the wound clean. "No one with ever hurt you again. I promise."

"Sure..." He closed his eyes. "I might as well tell you...whenever you try to do something romantic or any type of touching you do...It feels nice."

Axel smiled and kissed the top of the boy's head. "That's what being happy is like."

Roxas tossed the bullet away from himself and rubbed his arm as it finally healed over. "Happy..." Roxas bit his lip. "Then why do I feel dread?"

"Dread? Why do you feel that?" he asked and helped Roxas back to the apartment.

"Seifer's dead, I should feel free now..." Roxas closed his eyes and shook his head. "Maybe it's because he's been replaced by Leon...someone much worse than Seifer." He whispered.

"Roxas... No one is going to hurt you anymore." he said softly. "I already told you."

"I'm not sure I'm worried about myself..." He rolled his shoulder.

"If you're not worried about yourself then who?" he asked and opened the apartment door.

"I don't know...maybe for you, but I feel like...someone is in more danger than they were twenty minutes ago..." Roxas gave off an odd smile. "Babble, don't worry about it."

"I don't care if I'm in more danger. I had to protect you." he said

The younger vampire swayed a little and reached for Axel's arms to steady himself. "I...know." He put a hand to his head.

Axel caught him and held him gently. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Tired." He breathed and slumped forward. "I...have a headache too..." He mumbled into the elder vampires' chest.

Axel picked the younger blond up and carried him to his bedroom. "I'll get you some medicine."

"I'm used to running...but I used up too much energy..." Roxas covered his face and took a deep breath.

"By doing what?" he brushed some hair out of the boy's face and caressed his cheek with his thumb.

"Not resting after the poison went away, getting shot and using my useless power..." Roxas looked up. "I..." His eyes traveled up the redheads arm and stopped at his neck. "I need rest."

"Then rest." he said and leaned down to kiss Roxas' forehead.

The blond wrapped his arms around Axel's shoulders and kept him close. "I think I recall you saying something about getting blood in me before we got here." He whispered and rubbed his face in the crook of his neck.

"You're always welcome to my blood, Roxas." he whispered and pulled the boy closer.

The younger vampire bit into his mates' neck and sucked greedily _'Thank you, for helping me back there.'_

Axel let out a short groan. "Of course, anything for you Roxas."

'_I have a lot of questions for you...but they can wait.…' _He continued to drink and let his arms slip to his sides. _'I wanna know...how you live how you do.'_

Axel laid down next to the boy to get comfortable. "You mean like stay in one place?"

Roxas pulled away, nodding. "Your lifestyle is foreign to me, living with other vampires, it sounds too dangerous."

"Maybe but I don't think so. Safety in numbers right?"

"I guess..." Roxas closed his eyes. "Sleep, I want to sleep for nine hours, nine...uninterrupted restoring hours..." He murmured. "Maybe then I will want to do something..."

"You can sleep all you want Roxas." he said and kissed the boy's forehead.

"Don't stare at me sleep..." He mumbled. "'s creepy..."The teenager curled up and closed his eyes. Within moments, he was out.

Axel looked down at the boy. "How can I not?" he breathed and kissed his forehead again before falling asleep.


	13. Let's All Go To The Mall!

Chapter 13

Zexion frowned as he was woken up by the obnoxious beeping, Aeleus' clock gave off. He sincerely hoped that when Aeleus was a vampire he would allow him to chuck it out the window. He groaned in displeasure and covered his head with a pillow, inadvertently smacking his lover in the face with the fluffy headrest.

Aeleus groaned and shut off the alarm. "Well good morning to you too sleeping beauty." he chuckled and lifted the pillow off of Zexion's head.

The teenager looked up and yawned. "How can you stand that thing?" He asked, sleepily.

"It's the only thing that can wake me up." he said and kissed the boy softly.

The boy pouted. "The only thing? There has to be more than just that..." He kissed him back and rested his head on his chest.

Aeleus chuckled. "Well yes and you hitting me with a pillow. That can wake me up too." he said with a smile as he wrapped an arm around the vampire.

"The only reason I'd hit you with one is because of the alarm." He whined and drew circles on his chest. "You have to go to work soon..."

"I do. Which means I have to get you home." he said and brushed some hair out of the boy's face.

"I can't come with you..." He sighed and closed his eyes. "I want more than just these nights together..." Zexion whispered.

Aeleus frowned and rubbed Zexion's back. "I'm sorry Zexion. I'll take some time off then we can do something, how's that sound?" he said and kissed his forehead.

The vampire closed his eyes. "I guess...that will work." He nuzzled his chest. "I can think of things to do in the meantime..."

"You do that." he said and pushed the boy back. "But right now I need to get dressed."

Zexion sat up and looked away. Spending time with him would be great, but eventually it would get tedious, having to wait for him to get days off all the time. He didn't feel like having to wait.

Aeleus got dressed and turned to look at the boy. "Hey what's wrong?" he walked back to the bed and sat down next to the boy.

"Waiting..." He whispered and leaned onto Aeleus. "Waiting and then more waiting..." He looked up. "I'll always be waiting..."

Aeleus sighed and pulled the boy into a hug. "Give me a month?" he whispered.

'A month?' Zexion felt like he had received a blow to his stomach. He was hoping that Aeleus would've asked him sooner. Thirty days of trying not to bite him-he could barely handle three. The vampire nodded slowly and bit his lip nonetheless.

"I'm sorry Zexion, I just need some time." he said and pulled Zexion closer kissing the top of his head.

"Ok..." He whispered. "I guess I can wait that long..." Zexion looked up at him and faked his best smile. Thirty days of waiting for what he wanted most, in a way he felt that he was still telling him, 'No, don't bite me. I don't want it.'

Aeleus smiled and stood up. "Come on let's get you dressed."

The vampire nodded and slipped out of the bed and started to pull on the change of clothes he had brought over. "Just drop me off at Inferno...I need to drop off Namine's dress."

"Don't you want me to drive you home after that?" he asked and picked up the discarded dress.

Zexion pulled his shirt over his head. "No, I have a cell so Axel says I can walk home again." He ran a hand through his hair.

Aeleus frowned then turned towards the door. "Oh... Well alright."

Zexion took the dress from Aeleus. "I don't want you to be late for work." Another fake smile. "Don't worry, it's no big deal."

Aeleus nodded, disappointed that his time with the boy had been cut short. "Right of course. Just be careful."

"I will." The teenager started heading for the door and bit his lip. If he was going to be forced to wait so long he was at least going to try and help him with his work.

Aeleus followed him out of the room and grabbed his keys from the kitchen when they reached the first floor.

"So...why a month?" He asked slowly. "Is there something significant about it?"

"It'll be the anniversary of my brother death." he said softly. "I want to go to his grave one more time as a human."

Zexion's shoulders slumped for a half second. So that was it. There would be no way of convincing him otherwise. "Oh." He spoke quietly.

"I want you to come with me." he said softly and looked over at the boy.

"Sure. Of course." Zexion looked at Aeleus. "You can always visit him as a vampire too, y'know. It's not like we have to evacuate the premises." He chuckled.

"I know that." he said with a said smile. "It's just something that I want to do."

"I understand." The teen nodded and opened the front door.

Aeleus followed the vampire and smiled at him. "Just have a little patience." he said and kissed the top o Zexion's head.

"Patience, sure I have patience, I have eternity, but you're going to keep getting old, the longer you wait to ask me." Zexion grinned up at him.

"I won't age too much in one month." he said. "Just one more month then I'll ask you."

"Hmm, you're line of work doesn't help much, what would happen if you got hurt?" The vampire crossed his arms.

"I'm tough. It's going to take a lot to get rid of me." he laughed and unlocked his car.

Zexion opened the door and sat inside and bit his lip. "That won't make me stop worrying..."

Aeleus got in on his side of the car and started it. "When you can get a night off tell me ok?"

"Yeah...I'll tell you the moment I know." Zexion tilted his head back and rubbed his neck. "So...what are you working on?"

"Well..." he paused. "I'm not supposed to talk about it. But it's you so... Couple of days ago there was a shooting. A man killed a little girl. We're in the process of tracking him down."

"Oh...how little?" Zexion looked over and rested his hands in his lap.

Aeleus pulled out the parking lot. "She was ten." he said softly.

"I see...is he likely to do something like that again?" The vampire looked down at the dress in thought.

"Probably." he said. "Which is why we need to find him and stop him."

"What else do you know about this guy?" Zexion looked back up. "I mean...you must know a bit if it's been just a few days ago."

Aeleus gave the boy a sideways glance. "We know what he looks like and some past addresses."

"Ah...well, I hope you find him soon then." Zexion took a deep breath. Maybe he could help him catch the guy.

"Thanks." he said and pulled up to the Inferno. "Well here you go, and be careful."

Zexion gave him a quick kiss and stepped out of the car, clutching the dress to his chest. "I will, see you later!"

Aeleus smiled. "See you." he said as he pulled away.

Zexion watched the human leave and then sighed, before turning into the entrance of the bar. He headed straight for the dressing room.

The vampire quickly put the dress on a hanger and smoothed it out before putting it away and began his walk home. He wanted to feel happy that it would 'only' be a month, but he felt incredibly cheated somehow. When he finally made it to Axel's apartment he had somehow gotten to thinking how he could spend this month of waiting. He would try and help Aeleus capture the bad guys. "I'm home." He called as he opened the door.

After a few moments of silence Axel poked his head out of the bedroom door. "Shh. Roxas is sleeping." he said then walked over to the young vampire. "How was your night?"

"Oh...It was great." Zexion smiled and ran a hand through his hair. "I really enjoyed last night."

"Did you two finally do it?" he asked arching an eyebrow. "How was it?"

The teenager blushed and nodded. "It...was...fantastic, I made it without biting him."

"Well that's good. When do you plan on changing him?" he asked and crossed his arms.

The boy bit his lip and looked away. "A-a month?" Zexion crossed his arms and took a deep breath.

Axel uncrossed his arms and led the boy into the kitchen. "A month? Why so long?" he said and sat Zexion down in a chair.

"It's not really up to me to decide when he's changed or not..." He mumbled. "If it were, he'd be one by now." Zexion rested his chin on his hand and looked out the window.

Axel frowned and pulled a bag of blood from the fridge. "I suppose not. Are you hungry?"

"Huh?" The younger vampire stared at the bag of red liquid and shook his head. "Oh...no, I'm fine."

"You're fine? How are you fine? You didn't take any blood with you." he said and put the bag back. "When did you feed?"

"Last night. Aeleus gave me some of his blood." Zexion closed his eyes remembering the taste.

Axel sat down and looked at the boy. "How?"

"Well...he cut himself and put it in a cup...and I drank from the cup. It was his idea." Zexion looked at Axel oddly. "I didn't bite him..."

"Hmm..." Axel sat back in the chair. "Well I've never heard of that before. He must really care for you."

"He does...he wants to wait a month though and there's nothing I can do about changing his mind." His shoulders slumped.

"And why is that?" he asked and leaned forward again. "What does he have to do?"

"His brother died and it's the anniversary of his death, and he wants to visit the grave as a human..." Zexion looked at the table. "So now I have to wait..."

"Now Zexion, it's only a month. I could be worse. He could want to wait a year." he said and reached across the table to pat Zexion's hand.

"A year? God, Axel...I want it now, don't make me think that it'll take that long..." He pulled his hand back and crossed his arms.

"Relax. In month... he'll be all yours." he said and stood up. "I have to go back to Roxas now, he might be waking up."

"No need..." Roxas stood at the entrance to the kitchen rubbing his eyes of sleep and stretched.

Axel walked over to his mate. "Morning." he said and pressed a kiss to his temple.

"Good morning..." Roxas yawned and ran a hand through his hair. "Ugh, where is your shower I must look like a rag doll dragged through the mud..."

Axel put an arm around the blondes' waist. "Right here." He said leading the boy to a door down the hall.

"Thanks..." He looked around. "You wouldn't happen to have a change of clothes...would you?"

"Hmm... They might be a little big on you but I think I can find some." we can get you some new clothes when we go shopping for some of Zexion's things."

Roxas nodded. "Ok...Just leave them at the door." He turned. "We can shop tonight, right?"

"We'll have to go before tonight. We have work at the Inferno tonight." Axel said.

"Work?" Roxas shrugged and went inside the shower closing the door behind him. "Alright. I guess I can do that..." He said as he began to strip down.

Axel smiled at the closed door then went back into the kitchen. "So. You ready to go on a shopping trip?"

Zexion looked up with a sour look. "I guess..." He sighed. "How much money are we working with?"

"Don't you worry about that." Axel said and sat back down at the table.

"I don't get it...I feel like crap..." The teen frowned and leaned back in his chair. "I feel like..." He shook his head, annoyed he couldn't find the right word.

"What?" Axel leaned back in the chair balancing on two legs.

"I just feel cheated somehow, or that I'm not seeing the whole picture..." Zexion mumbled.

"Are you still hung up about the whole changing Aeleus thing?" Axel sighed and leaned forward. "Zexion, relax."

"I wouldn't have drunk his blood if I had known he was going to make me wait a whole moth for me to taste it again..." HE shook his head. "It's not fair."

"Ask for it again then." he said. "I'm sure he'll let you have some more."

"I didn't ask for it the first time." He whined and crossed his legs. "He's just teasing me with it then."

"You know. Complaining about it is only going to make it worse. At least he's going to let you change him." He said and stood up.

"Hmph." Zexion looked out the window with a scowl and crossed his arms. "He's more my size, so you can root around in my clothes."

"Then go pick him out something to wear. I'm going to get dressed." he ruffled Zexion's hair. "Don't be upset."

Zexion pushed out of his seat and stalked to his room. He knew he was just throwing a tantrum but he didn't know how else to deal with it. He pulled a black and white striped long sleeved shirt out of his closest and tugged a pair of long black shorts out of his chest. He quickly folded them and set them outside the door to the bathroom and went back into his room. Roxas poked his head out of the bathroom after finishing his shower and pulled the clothing inside.

Axel emerged from his room, dressed in a shirt that had the words Twisted Fire Starter on it, and a pair of jeans.

The blond ran his hand through his hair and frowned at how his hair covered his eyes. After years of running, barely having time to feed his hairstyle had suffered. He walked out of the bathroom fully clothed. "I need to figure out what a regular teenager looks like, these days..." He mumbled.

Axel laughed and walked over to the boy. "Just ask Zexion." he said and kissed the top of the boy's head.

The blond raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "I guess I'm wearing his clothing, then?" The clothes hugged onto him. But they fit well enough.

"Yep. Don't worry you'll get your own wardrobe soon." he said and wrapped an arm around the blond

"Do they fit all right?" Zexion walked out of his room and looked him up and down.

"Oh, yeah, they're ok. Thanks for lending them to me." Roxas looked up at Axel. "So where are we shopping?"

"Where ever you want to get clothes from." Axel shrugged. "Doesn't really matter."

"Let's just go to the mall and if a store piques his interest we'll go inside." Zexion suggested. "For some reason...I'm thinking a trendy store would be best for you..." He placed his hand to his chin in thought.

"Oh so you're some kind of fashion professional?" Axel laughed and looked down at Roxas.

"Y'know I was ridiculed in school for being one of the best students in classes where the ratio of girls to boys were extremely skewed to the girl's side." The teen sighed and shook his head. "Do you have any better ideas?"

"No. I suppose we'll go with Zexion's idea." Axel said and led the boys out of the apartment.

Zexion got out of the car. "I wanna go to Hot Topic after this." Roxas tilted his head to the side. "They sure have strange names for clothing stores these days."

"You really have been away from society for a while." Axel said and laughed. "Hot Topic is a gothic store."

"Gothic, like...Notre Dame Gothic?" The blond frowned and looked at Zexion. "I don't get how the store name applies..." Zexion simply shrugged at a loss to explain.

"No." Axel put his arm around Roxas' waist. "Like black clothing. Zexion can explain it better."

"It's more than just black clothing." The slate-haired teen placed his hands on his hips. "It's more about...making a statement."

Axel smiled and looked down at Roxas. "I think you would look good in some of the clothes there."

Roxas shrugged. "I wouldn't know..." Zexion crossed his arms. "Sometimes they have good stuff and other times not so much, it really is a wild card of a store for me."

"I'm sure we can find a little something for Roxas. Would you mind dressing him for me Zexion?" he asked with a small laugh.

The youngest vampire raised an eyebrow. "I...guess I can...?" "I think I'm capable of putting clothing on, Axel." Roxas crossed his arms.

"I meant finding something that will look amazing on you." Axel said letting his hand drift to Roxas' ass.

The blond blushed and looked up at his mate. "Why, so you can drool all over me?"

"Oh I don't need you in different clothes to drool over you. In fact I think you would look even better... with no clothes at all." he whispered into the blonde's ear and nipped at Roxas' ear lobe.

Roxas' blush turned from a shade of pale pink to a brilliant shade of red and he turned his head away from the elder vampire's in embarrassment. "I bet you'd like that..." He mumbled.

Axel smirked. "I would. Maybe I can get a little taste of that sight later?"

"Maybe..." The blond bit his lip.

Zexion sighed. "Can we go and shop now, or are we just going to stand in the parking lot?"

"Well, you know... those dressing rooms are pretty roomy." he said and started walking towards the mall.

Zexion cringed and walked after the two. "Ew. Thanks for the mental image, Axel. I will never enter a dressing room without being paranoid of its previous occupant now..."

Axel chuckled and looked at his adopted fledgling. "Oh come on Zexion. I was kidding. We'll wait until we get home."

"Oh, so that's how it's going to be?" Roxas looked up and rolled his eyes. "So what store did you have in mind for visiting first?"

"Well Zexion wants to go to Hot Topic so we'll go there first." he said and held open the door.

"Then we can go to Abercrombie and Fitch, my brother was like the poster child for the freakin' store he wore so much of their stuff..." Zexion began heading to the only place he went to go buy clothing.

Axel smiled and followed the younger boy. "Are you having fun Roxas?"

"Hmm? Oh...I guess." Roxas bit his lip and looked ahead at Zexion who was trekking across the mall.

"Is something bothering you?" he asked softy and glanced down at the boy.

"It's just...different...I'm so used to just...running. Weird, the closest thing I've had to a friend is dead now." The blond looked up. "I just don't...know what to think of this sudden change of pace."

"You considered Seifer a friend?" he asked then sighed. "You'll get used to it Roxas. Maybe you can be friends with Zexion."

"Not as a friend...but..." Roxas shrugged. "He looks...like he's mad at the world for something..." He gestured towards the slate-haired teen. "He's not usually like that, is he? I mean...he looked pretty content back at the bar."

"It's just how he is. He had a pretty hard life too." he said softly. "Not as hard as yours but... He's still young. He was tricked into being changed."

"Tricked? How do you get tricked into that?" He crossed his arms. "It's a pretty huge decision."

"A vampire named Marluxia lured him into a false sense of love, and tempted him with an eternity of life filled with love." he stared after the younger boy they were following.

Zexion stopped momentarily, hearing his sire's name, but continued on. "Oh. I see..." Roxas frowned.

Axel sighed. "He's still just a boy who wants to be happy." he looked down at Roxas and smiled. "Sort of like you."

Zexion stopped outside of Hot Topic and crossed his arms. "If you see something you like just stop me, ok?" Roxas looked up and raised an eyebrow. "How will I know what I like?" "Trust me; you'll know if you like it." The shorter answered.

Axel smiled and pulled the blond into the store after Zexion. "I can always pick out what I like." he said fingering a short blue plaid skirt with chains.

"Seriously?" Roxas looked up at Axel. "I'm not wearing girl's clothing." He answered quickly. Zexion was further in the shop looking at a long black jacket with buckles.

Axel pouted. "But why not? Zexion does and he looks adorable in dresses." he said and glanced at the other boy.

"I need clothing that I can walk around in without getting odd stares, I want to remove attention, not gather it." The blond shook his head.

"I wasn't really thinking of letting others see you in that." he said quietly with a big smirk.

Roxas blushed and looked away distractedly as Zexion walked towards them with a pile of plaid shirts, the jacket he was looking at underneath them all. "I forgot to ask you what size you were but just guessed you would be a small, maybe a medium."

Axel's smirk widened and he patted Roxas' ass. "Go try 'em on Roxas."

The blond nodded and took the shirts from the younger vampire. "Did...you find anything?" Zexion held up the jacket. "Just this, but I haven't checked out the bottoms, yet..."

Axel looked at the jacket and smiled. "That's a good looking jacket. Will it keep you warm though?"

Roxas quickly moved to the dressing rooms and Zexion shrugged. "Not really..."

Axel shrugged. "Alright then if that's the jacket you want." he said and took the article of clothing into his arms. "Go look at some other clothes."

"Alright." Zexion turned and headed towards the bottoms section but stopped when a certain shirt got his attention and he laughed quietly to himself.

Axel looked over at the teen then walked over to him. "What's so funny?"

Zexion pulled the shirt off the rack and showed it to Axel as if it explained everything. The black shirt had the words 'bite me' written in a gray, hard to read lettering.

Axel laughed and put a hand on Zexion's shoulder. "Should we get one for Aeleus?"

"I have a hard enough time not biting him; if he wears this I might not be able to help myself." He laughed again and shrugged. "I wouldn't even know what size to get him."

"Well you took off his clothes last night. You didn't check the tags?" he laughed.

"Ah..." Zexion blushed and put the shirt back on the rack. "I...I didn't...really..." He bit his lip.

"Oh? Did he strip for you?" Axel chuckled and pinched the boy's cheek.

"No! I helped him out of his shirt...I was just busy talking to him..." He pouted and crossed his arms.

"Talking? Your mouth wasn't preoccupied?" he asked and started to look through the shirts.

The teens blush deepened and he looked away. "Sh-shut up..." He walked off to find a pair of pants, blushing all the way to his ears. Roxas walked up in a light blue and black plaid shirt on. "Hey, ah...what do you think of this?"

Axel turned to look at the blond and smiled. "I like it." he said and caressed the boy's cheek. "It matches your eyes."

"Yeah?" The blond smiled a bit. "I like this one too." He held up a black and white striped hoodie, the bands bulging and getting thin in some spots.

"You want that too?" he asked and smiled at his mate. "I like it."

"Ok, I'll go and change back and put the other stuff back." He turned and Zexion pushed a few pairs of pants into his arms. "Try these."

Axel laughed and stepped up behind the blond. "You're getting more than just one shirt Roxas."

"Oh, right..." He went back to the dressing room and Zexion had a pair of black skinny jeans in his hands. "Do you think I should get these?"

"Try them on first Zexion." Axel said with a laugh. "I'm sure they'll look good."

The teen rolled his eyes. "Ok, I'm pretty much done in here, though I did see a black and gray hoodie." Zexion shrugged and headed to the dressing rooms,

"If you want it get it." he said and leaned on a support beam.

Roxas came back out, hands laden with quite a few hangers of shirts and pants. "I think I'm done."

"Do you like all of them?" he asked pushing away from the beam.

The blond nodded. "All except this one." He waggled a finger that had a black and purple shirt.

"Why not?" he asked taking the hanger from Roxas.

He shrugged. "Just didn't strike my fancy, I guess." Zexion came out of the small room with a sour look on his face. "Definitely not getting these..." He mumbled.

Axel looked past Roxas to Zexion. "Why not? They look good." he said a smirk.

"My ass looks huge in these!" The slate-haired teen blurted with a blush.

Axel stared at the boy then started to laugh. "Your ass? Zexion you don't have that big of an ass!"

"These pants totally make my butt look big..." He whined and turned to go back into the dressing room.

"Zexion..." Axel walked over to the boy and grabbed his shoulder. "They look good. Why not show them to Aeleus and if he doesn't like them you can bring them back."

"Ok..." He closed the door and quickly changed back into his own jeans.

Axel rolled his eyes and walked back over to Roxas. "So you got everything here you wanted?"

"I guess." Roxas laughed and shrugged. "I haven't shopped for clothing in quite a while. This already is a lot of clothing."

"No it's not. We still have plenty of shops to hit." he said and kissed the top of the blonds head.

"You shouldn't spoil me..." He grinned. Zexion came out of the dressing room and quickly went over to the hoodie he saw and searched for his size. "So, where are we headed next?"

"Spencer's maybe. Then we'll you pick the next one." he said and smiled at the blond.

The youngest vampire walked over to the two. "Are we ready?"

"I'm ready." The blond answered.

Axel set the clothing on the counter and the worker rang them up.

"Oh...Zexion, what should I do with my hair? Like, should I leave it like this or should I do something to it to look more like...my age?"

The smaller boy crossed his arms and shrugged. "Hair is a preference, just look at the people you walk by. That should give you a good enough idea."

Axel paid for the clothes and took the bags. "Why not spike it?" he asked.

"Like yours?" Roxas raised an eyebrow. "I don't know..." He turned his head to the side. "Maybe I should just let someone play with my hair until I get something I like?"

"Zexion? Care to play hairdresser?" Axel asked and held out his hand for Roxas to take.

"I think Namine would be better at that than me..." The teen shrugged. Roxas took Axel's hand. "Namine?"

"A fledgling of mine. She'll make you look perfect." he said and lifted Roxas' hand to kiss it.

"Ah, I met her before, pale girl." He leaned into his mate and closed his eyes. "Though...I guess calling her a girl wouldn't be right."

"And why wouldn't that be right?" He asked looking down at the vampire leaning on him.

"I can tell she's older than me...so Madame, lady or just plain 'young woman' would be more correct." Roxas laughed slightly. "I'm totally inept."

Axel chuckled. "No you're not. Just call her Namine." he said and lifted Roxas' head to kiss him.

The blond kissed him back and pulled away. "I'm a fan of the phrase...Actions speak louder than words."

"Do they now? Should I use my actions to show you how much I love you then?" he said with a smirk.

"I wouldn't want to have you make a scene." Roxas grinned. Zexion took the bags in his hands and shook his head. "Neither would I."

Axel grinned and let out a small laugh. "I meant later." he whispered and kissed Roxas softly.

"Well then..." The blond looked at stores that would be good to hit. "In that case, sure." Zexion started out the store and looked left and right to see if an

"Well then..." The blond looked away. "In that case, sure." Zexion started out the store and looked left and right to see if any stores would be good to hit.

Axel's smirk widened and he leaned down to kiss his mate neck. "I love you." he whispered.

"I..." The blond blushed. "Ah..." He licked his lips and closed his eyes.

He pulled back and smiled down and the blond. "You look so cute like that." he said and kissed his forehead.

"Hm." Roxas looked away. "Looks like Zexion's leaving us behind."

"We better catch up then." he said and started walking after Zexion.

Roxas held onto the redhead's hand and smiled. "He looks better, now that he's doing something." The other boy was staring at the map.

"Yeah. He's a busybody. Always has to be doing something." he said with a laugh.

"Maybe...it's to keep his mind off of things?" Roxas mused aloud. Zexion turned to look at them. "Abercrombie's closer, we should head that way." He pointed down a wing.

"Lead the way." Axel called out. "Perhaps. But let's not worry about that today."

The youngest headed down the passing the stores and pulled the bags closer to himself.

Axel and Roxas caught up to the teen and put a hand on his shoulder. "Something bothering you Zexion?"

"Huh?" Zexion looked up. "No, I...I thought I saw someone, but...they went the other way."

"Saw someone?" he asked and glanced behind them.

"Just...just someone I knew in school." HE shrugged. "Do you think...maybe I should disguise myself?"

"Zexion You look completely different from when you were a human. You're perfectly safe." he said.

"Are you sure?" He bit his lip. Roxas tilted his head to the side. "How would you disguise yourself anyway?"

"Roxas is right. You would just end up bringing more attention yourself."

"Ok..." Zexion nodded and went ahead. "I just...don't know how to react."

"Like a normal person. Zexion no one is going to find out about you, alright?" Axel smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. "Relax."

"I guess so..." He took a deep breath and tried to smile. "Ah, Ael said that I should think about things to do...like for dates and stuff? I had a few ideas..."

"Oh... Dates?" a store filled with pink caught his eye and axel pulled the boy's over to it. "I have a few ideas."

"Huh?" Zexion looked up and his eyes widened. "No, no way, nuh-uh!" He tensed up. Roxas looked up at the title of the store. "...Who's Victoria?"

"Who really knows? But you're about to figure out her secret." Axel laughed and pulled Zexion into the store.

"Axel!" The teen was completely red. "I said dates! Not...not this!" Roxas raised an eyebrow and followed them into the store.

"But what happens after dates?" Axel asked with a laugh and pulled the teen over to the lingerie.

"This is humiliating..." Zexion wailed as he finally gave up resisting. "This is amusing." Roxas walked up to the younger vampire and crossed his arms.

"Let's see... Now what color would look best on Zexion?" Axel said fingering the hanging lingerie.

"I am not telling you what looks best!" The teen whined and Roxas tilted his head to the side. "I...don't think I can add anything to this."

"Then I'll just have to pick something out on my own." he said heading for the feathery pink leopard print top.

Zexion shook his head. "L-leopard?" HE closed his eyes. "I am not wearing animal print."

"Well then what will you wear?" he asked and turned around.

"I-I don't know...ahm...M-maid outfits?" Zexion rubbed the back of his neck.

"No like this. What will you wear that's like this?" he asked holding up a see through top.

"I...I don't know. Just not animal print." HE shook his head back and forth. "This stuff is made for women, I don't get the point."

"Dresses are made for women." he said. "I'm just teasing you Zexion"

The teen's eye twitched. "I don't know what to pick out..."

"You don't like anything in here?" he asked and put the top back.

Zexion shrugged and waved his hand weakly at a lilac colored satin gown. "I guess that one..."

Axel smiled and grabbed one off the rack. "I'm sure Aeleus will love it on you."

"I don't really think he cares what I'm wearing." The teen blushed. "But I don't know what he prefers; you want me to riddle him with questions the next time I'm with him?"

"Sure. I mean are you curious as to what turns him on?" Axel asked quietly.

Zexion nodded. "I just wish I wouldn't have to be that...blunt about it. I don't want to make him feel like he has to answer..."

"I'm sure he wants to know some of your fantasies too. But I can think of only one that you really want." he said and patted the boy's shoulder.

The young vampire sighed and nodded. "I'll just have to wait for that..." He looked up. "But in the meantime, it won't be that bad."

"No it won't. Be strong." he said and walked up to the counter. "Oh and Zexion?"

Roxas followed after the redhead as if an invisible leash pulled him along. "Yeah?" Zexion raised an eyebrow.

"I would like for you to set aside some time. I want to start training you." he said softly.

"Oh...yeah, I was wondering when you were going to say that." He bit his lip, already trying to figure out how he was going to schedule his time so that he could work, train and spend time with Aeleus. Roxas scrunched his brow together. "Training for what?"

Axel paid for the lingerie and led the boy's out of the store. "I wasn't exaggerating when I said that Zexion was a new vampire."

"Really? How new?" Roxas looked at the boy. "I think maybe...a week?" Zexion tried to remember but time had moved at a pace he was having trouble comprehend; so many things happening all at the same time.

"Yeah about a week. And Zexion needs to learn how to defend himself, in case I'm not around."

"Oh." Roxas nodded and smiled. "That should be fun for you. There's a lot of things you can do now that you wouldn't have been able to do just as a human."

Axel smiled. "That's great then Roxas. You can be his sparring partner and help train him."

"I had to learn everything by myself..." Roxas mumbled and crossed his arms. Zexion bit his lip. "But I guess I can help him..."

"If you wouldn't have offed your sire, he might have taught you." Axel said then put an arm around the blond waist.

"He what?" Zexion stared at Roxas. "You...killed your sire?" Roxas nodded slowly. "Yeah, to be honest it wasn't that hard to do."

"Now Zexion, calm down. Roxas obviously wasn't very bright when he was younger." he said and looked down at the boy.

"Hey!" The blond frowned and hit his mate gently. "What's that supposed to mean?" Zexion curled his hands slowly but kept silent.

"You have to admit that killing your sire wasn't very smart." Axel said with a chuckle.

"He didn't tell me to stop, how the hell was I supposed to know?" Roxas pouted. "Anyway, shouldn't we continue shopping?"

"You look so cute when you pout." Axel whispered with a smile.

The blond blushed and looked away. "Geez, you make me feel like a fool." He whispered.

"Really? What a coincident. You do the same thing to me." he whispered and kissed the boy's cheek.

"You don't get flustered though..." Roxas bit his lip and Zexion waited patiently for the two.

Axel smiled. "Yeah but I want to completely spoil you." he said.

"Sounds like something a guy like you would do." The blond responded.

"Only to you Roxas." he whispered and leaned down to kiss him again.

Roxas slipped his hands to Axel's shoulders and kissed him back. The youngest of the three cleared his throat.

Axel pulled back and pushed the blonde away. "We better get going. Zexion will be angry with us."

"Hmm..." Roxas turned to Zexion and sighed. "Ok."

"So Abercrombie and Fitch is just a few stores down." The teen causally mentioned.

Axel smiled and pulled the blond along.


	14. Reunion of a Boy and His Cat

Chapter 14

Xehanort sat at his desk poring over his notes on the case he and his partner had recently been going over and frowned when he saw the photo of the girl that was killed.

Aeleus walked into the office and walked over to his desk with a huge smile on his face. "Good morning!"

The tan man sat back in his seat and looked over at his partner. "...Good morning." He paused. "You're awfully happy, so early in the morning."

"I uh... slept well last night." he said sitting down at the desk.

Xehanort raised an eyebrow. "Slept well, hmm?" He gave Aeleus a searching stare and pursed his lips in thought.

"Y-yeah." he said and glanced at the man. "No big deal. Just... slept well."

The other man stood up, case file in hand and folded his arms over his chest. "I've been staring at this for the past twenty minutes and I'm not getting anywhere with it." He said in a tone that really said, 'I know you're lying and I won't leave you alone until you tell the truth.'

"Oh we'll maybe I can help you out." he said and held out his hand for the file, biting his lip.

"The way he did it...this doesn't seem like some random act. He is showing signs of going serial...just like you said, but we have next to no evidence to get him." He put a hand on his hip. "You know how I feel about creeps like this."

"I know you hate cases with kids. That's why I wanted you as a partner. You tend to try to catch the assholes fast.

"Are you feeling any better about your first fieldwork?" He leaned on his desk.

"Huh? Oh! Oh yeah I mean things happen right? I tried my best to save him." he said and looked back at his desk taking back his hand.

"Not like that, Ael." He dropped the file on the other man's desk and closed his eyes and landed in his chair. "But you're right; you did try your best."

"Then what do you mean?" he asked and looked up.

"That bastard got away, with no evidence; he somehow even took the body." Xehanort shuddered. "It's a freak case that we have no idea what happened and we probably never will..."

"Yeah." he said and booted up his computer. "So how was your night?"

The white-haired man took a deep breath and stretched. "I slept...*very* well." A sly smirk spread across his lips and he put his hands behind his head.

"Oh..." He glanced at their boss's office. "Why don't you just move in with him already?"

"Hah! You think we haven't discussed it..." Xehanort shook his head and turned back to the papers on his desk.

"Oh? And what's the verdict? You moving in with him or what?" he asked.

"He's being stubborn and won't give me an answer." The tan man stared at the chief's office.

"Do you think maybe he doesn't want to?" he asked softly.

"No." The answer sounded childish. "I think he's more worried about being transferred." He rolled his eyes.

"Is he up for a transfer?" he asked softly, and looked at his friend.

"He doesn't want to leave what he has here." Xehanort shrugged. "To be honest I think he's perfectly happy with the relationship we have now."

"But you want more." he said and rested his head in his hand.

"Who wouldn't...?" He sighed. "But...all I can really give him is time to think about it." Xehanort turned. "I never know what he's thinking."

"Why don't you ask him?" he asked softly. "I mean how hard can it be?"

"I don't want to suffocate him." He shrugged. "If he's happy with what we have now, I don't want to burst it with asking for more."

"So you'll let yourself be miserable?" he said and shook his head. "That makes sense. Saix is going to end up worrying."

"Then he'll ask me what's wrong and then I can tell him, but otherwise, it's not going any farther than that." He waved to Arlene as she came into the office and stretched, yawning.

"You really think Isa will ask? He's one to ask around to find out what's wrong." he said at the blue haired man walked in.

"Morning, boss." Arlene said tiredly and sat at her desk, obviously leaving out the 'good' part of the phrase.

Xehanort looked up and smiled at his boyfriend. "Good morning, Isa."

Isa smiled. "Good Morning, Xehanort." he said and walked into his office sending the man a sexual glance.

"So, I can already tell how your night went and if anyone asks about my own..." Arlene twisted in her seat leaving that sentence unfinished. "How was your night, Aeleus? You lingered at the Inferno last night, did you have something extra?"

Aeleus tensed up slightly. "No. Why do you ask?" he said quickly.

"Because I'm usually the one who stays the latest there." Arlene replied offhandedly. Xehanort turned to Aeleus and raised an eyebrow. "You stayed longer than usual?"

"No! I... I just... I thought I saw someone I knew." he said and buried himself in the computer.

The blonde woman laughed and turned to her desk slowly getting ready for the day. "Why are you so quick to respond, Ael? Is there something you aren't...telling me?"

Xehanort turned to look at his partner with a devilish grin.

"No of course not." he said and bit his lip. "I thought I saw someone then I left."

The white-haired man leaned over the desk and stared at his friend. "That's the worst excuse I've ever heard." He whispered.

"It's not an excuse. It's the truth." he said not looking up. "It was only for a few minutes."

Xehanort stood up. "Well, who did you think you saw there then?"

"An old friend. From college." he said and looked up. "So what?"

"Ok." He flipped through his notes and ran a hand through his hair. "We should get to questioning the people who saw her last, maybe we can figure out something."

"Yeah." he stood up. "So where to?" he asked.

"She was last seen in the park's playground...Mom should have been the last to see her." He closed his notepad and shoved it in his pocket. "Visiting her would be the best idea."

"Right so let's head that way now." he said and headed to the door.

Xehanort followed after his partner and waited until no one was around. "So, this college friend have a name?"

"Um… Josh. Yeah Josh." he said keeping his back to his partner.

"So why didn't you tell me that in the first place? You don't have to hide it from me, it's not like I'm going to spread everything around like Arlene would." Xehanort smiled and left the building headed towards his car.

"I didn't think it was that important to say anything." he said and walked over to the passenger side.

"Not important?" The tan man raised an eyebrow. "If a guy can make you that happy the next morning and is not considered important then, I don't know what is." He got inside of the vehicle and shoved the keys into the ignition.

Aeleus climbed in. "He's not what made me happy... I just had a good night's sleep."

"Oh, come on, Ael. You don't have to keep using that lame excuse over and over again." He cleared his throat and started the car. "You know you can tell me anything..."

"Not everything." he muttered and rested his chin in his hand, looking out the window.

"So you're telling me you don't trust me with knowing that you have a boyfriend, when I told you about me and Isa first? I'm hurt." Xehanort pulled a weak smile.

He glanced over at Xehanort. "It's not as simple."

"So you aren't going to tell me-you're just going to leave me in the dark." He pulled out and frowned as he left the lot.

Aeleus sighed and closed his eyes. "There is no friend from college."

Xehanort glanced at the address in his open notepad and started made a right at the intersection. "...Ok. So then...why did you stay late at the Inferno?"

"Remember our waitress?" he asked softly and went back to looking out the window.

"Wait, you mean to tell me...that you're screwing that girl...that threw food all over you that one night?" He bit his lip to keep from laughing. "A-are you serious?"

"That girl... isn't a girl." he said and looked at Xehanort.

"So...ah...she's a..." The white-haired man blushed and thumbed the wheel slowly. "She's a trahh-" He couldn't bring himself to say the word he was going for and clammed up.

"No!" he looked at his friend. "He's a he. He just dresses as a girl for work..."

"Oh, well...I guess, happiness pops up in all sorts of places." Xehanort shrugged and his blush faded. "So what makes that not simple?"

"He's not exactly normal." he said and clasped his hands together.

"Well aside from pulling off the look he does, what's wrong?" He slowed to a stop at a red light.

"Remember my first case? The boy?" he asked softly and look at his lap.

"Of course. You did well." He glanced over at him. "What about it?"

"He didn't exactly die." he whispered.

"...How do you know, the body was stolen and hasn't turned up since." Xehanort went a little pale thinking about it.

"Oh trust me, the body has turned up." he said biting his lip.

"So...Zexia...if I remember his name right...is...that boy?" The tan man scrunched his face up into confusion.

"His name is Zexion, but yes." he said and kept his eyes on his lap.

"Ael, you're not making sense, Zexion serves us alcohol, which means he has to be at least 21, and the boy from the case was barely 16. And I can see the resemblance, but...there's no way he could get a job and look that good...in the span of 30 hours, there's just no way." He drove down the road and was nearing the last turn they had to make.

"That's because he's not normal." he whispered.

"Then what is he if he's not normal?" Xehanort turned and raised an eyebrow.

He bit his lip and glanced at his friend. "A vampire?"

"Aeleus..." He parked the car and turned off the engine. "You really expect me to believe that?" He shook his head. "A vampire?" He got out of the car after grabbing his notepad.

Aeleus reached out and grabbed Xehanort's wrist pulling him back into the car and exposing some of the bandage. "You're my friend aren't you?"

"I thought I was but, if you keep telling me lies like this, then maybe not." He sighed. "What happened to your wrist?"

"I told you Zexion was a vampire." he said and pulled his hand back pushing the sleeve down.

"So he bit you?" Xehanort went pale as he began to realize that he wasn't being lied to.

"No. He can't bite me unless I ask him to." he said rubbing the wrist.

"So what did you do...?" He wet his lips in thought, thinking about the heavy atmosphere his partner had set.

"Cut myself." he whispered. "He was hungry..." he said as if that made everything ok.

"Hungry? So you just...gave him a snack, then?" He closed his eyes. "Aeleus...If he really is what you say he is...then you could be in a lot of danger, aren't vampires supposed to be...evil, deceptive...bloodthirsty creatures?"

"No... At least he isn't." he said. "He was just dealt a bad hand at fate."

"This is kind of hard to take in all at once..." Xehanort looked at his partner. "This...it's just...unreal."

"It's the truth Xehanort. Believe me." he whispered and he looked up.

"So why the hell are you screwing a 16 year old boy?" Xehanort narrowed his eyes.

"I uh… I don't really think of him as sixteen. He's immortal so…"

"So he's sixteen forever, then..." Xehanort leaned his head back. "God, this is..." He placed a hand to his forehead, feeling a headache come on. "This was more than I expected than when I first asked you..."

"There's more or do not want to hear anymore?" he asked and glanced up at his friend.

"...You might as well tell me in one sitting, while I'm still in shock-if that's what it is." He closed his eyes. 'Was this real? Do they really exist?'

Aeleus took a deep breath. "He's going to change me at the end of the month." he said softly.

Xehanort directed his eyesight to his partner and blinked repeatedly, shaking his head in confusion. "What does that mean?"

"It means I'm going to... to be like him." he said not looking at Xehanort.

"Don't vampires...kill people? Isn't that against your code of ethics?" Xehanort sighed. "You realize you're going to allow him to turn you into a killer, right?"

"I know that but I don't care." he said and looked up slowly.

"You don't... you don't care?" The tan man went pale again. "Aeleus...how can I let you do this to yourself?"

Aeleus stared at the other man. "I want this, Xehanort. You can't stop me."

"But...what if he used some sort of mind trick on you to want this? You honestly want to become a murderous creature of the night? Aeleus, our job is to protect people not kill them!"

"I love him!" he said loudly looking up at the other man quickly.

Xehanort sat silently and stared at the steering wheel. "There's no way I can stop you..." He whispered. "And just like that...you'll fall off the face of the Earth and take up a new persona, killing people without a second glance...why the hell did you join the force?"

"I won't have to kill people. And I can stay on the force if I want to. Nothing really has to change..."

"Then how do you expect to live as a vampire? And Zexion looks nothing like he did when he was a human." He crossed his arms. "How do you expect nothing to change?

"My change might not be as drastic. I have it under control Xehanort." he said softly.

"How are you going to live without killing anyone?" He bit his lip.

"Zexion said something about having a partner that I can feed from." he answered.

"Yeah and how easy is that to do, I mean, find a partner?" Now he was answering back flippantly.

"I don't know but Zexion was drinking from blood bags before so maybe...I can do that or..." he trailed off.

"Wha, blood bags? Aeleus..." Xehanort shook his head. "Are you even able to see all what's wrong with this?"

"Xehanort, I understand what I'm doing goes against everything that I fight for but... I can't stop what I feel." he whispered.

"Blinded by love." The white-haired male sighed. "I'll keep you're secret...but I can't say I'm ecstatic about it."

"If you were in my position you would do the same Xehanort." he said and got out of the car.

The tan man closed his eyes and got out of the car, locking the doors. "Let's just do our jobs for now..."

Aeleus was silent. How could Xehanort not understand? His best friend didn't support him.

~! #$%^&*()_++_)(*&^%$# !~~! #$%^&*()_+

Braig stretched and popped his neck. "Man... this is taking longer than I thought..." He left the house he was in and glanced at the next house and shrugged. "I...guess I can do one more..." The hunter noticed the large garden and sighed. "When do people have the time to plant gardens...Lil' vamp, lil' vamp let me in...not by the hair of my pretty little head." Braig then began picking the lock of the backdoor and slowly opened the door, peeking his head in and sighing in relief when no one was around. "Alright...let's check the..." He covered his face with is palm and pointed, waving his hand about until he peeked through his fingers. "The refrigerator..." A smile crept over his face. He rubbed his hands together and opened the door to the kitchen appliance and frowned. "Aw, you gotta be kidding me...Nothing?"

Of course there was plenty of food in the fridge but none that appealed to the one-eyed man. "Ugh..." He turned his head to the counter where many bottles of vitamins and medicines littered the area. "Old folk's house...just wonderful..." Though something seemed off, pictures were usually huge in the type of home he believed he was in. He only saw a painting or two. "Guess it can't hurt to go check upstairs..." Braig went to the front of the house and slowly made his way up the stairs, still seeing a lack of pictures. Each door he saw was slightly opened, all but one. "Sure, why not?" When he opened the door he glanced around and saw a cat whose head perked up to see who the visitor to the room was. Braig froze in place when he realized the cat had been curled up against a sleeping man, looking like he had been in the bed for much too long. The hunter was about to leave when he heard the pale blond man groan in his sleep.

"Mmm..." The man looked like he was having a bad dream but Braig leaned in to hear what the other man was mumbling. "Mar...luxia..." He breathed and twisted slightly in his sheets. Marluxia, had he heard correctly? Had he actually managed to find the elusive vampire's current place of residence? The second time the blond had whispered the name clearly.

"Score." Braig whispered to himself and pulled away from the bedroom and closed the door quietly before quickly retreating with his brand new information. He had definitely earned his beer's worth.

"Marluxia?" Even woke up slightly, thinking he had heard the door to his room and Spook jumped off the bed. "Hmm...wishful thinking..." He murmured and closed his eyes, leaning back into the pillow. He might as well get more rest if Marluxia were to turn up again.

The black cat stalked over to the bedroom door hissing at it loudly.

"Spook?" Even opened his eyes again and frowned. "What's wrong?"

The cat meowed angrily at the door and arched his back.

Braig heard the cat and rushed as quietly as he could outside of the house. "Spook, it's nothing, come back to the bed..." He sighed.

Spook meowed again and ran over to the open window and jumped up onto the windowsill.

With a second, slightly annoyed sigh, Even got up to see what was bothering the cat so much. "Ok, fine..." He pushed some of his hair back and saw a man walking down the sidewalk, and raised his eyebrow. "You don't have to be that protective..." He sighed and sat back on his bed.

The cat meowed again and raised the hair on his back.

"Stop that..." The blond waved his hand and shook his head. "It's just someone taking a walk." He frowned and turned his back to the window as he slipped back under the sheets.

The cat lowered his back and hissed at the blond man.

"Leave me alone." He mumbled and closed his eyes in an attempt to sleep.

The cat, angry that the man wouldn't listen to him turned back towards the window and jumped out onto the roof.

Even turned to see that the cat had disappeared out the window. "Oh, so you're gone now too..." He whispered and bit his lip. "I wish I would be healthy again..." Even groaned and stared at the ceiling.

~! #$%^&*()_++_)(*&^%$# !~~! #$%^&*()_

Axel pulled the bags from the trunk and smiled at the two younger vampires emerged from the car. "Did you two have fun today?

"Yeah, it was nice to visit shops I hadn't seen in a while." Zexion smiled and went to the trunk to help carry some of the bags.

"It was nice to see stores in general." Roxas added.

Axel smiled at the boy's. "I got the bags boy's, go ahead and open the door for me."

Roxas opened up the door to the apartment and Zexion closed the trunk of the car. "Thanks for buying all this stuff, Axel. I appreciate it."

"No problem. You both needed clothes." he said and walked over to the door to the apartment and saw a black cat sitting at the door to the building. "What's this? A cat?"

The youngest of the three's eyes widened. "No way!" He squeaked and picked up the cat, staring at it with a searching gaze. "Spook!" He hugged onto the cat.

"You know this cat Zexion?" he asked.

"Of course I do! He's MY cat!" He nuzzled his face against the black cat's face with a smile. "How the heck did you find me?" Roxas raised an eyebrow at the boy talking to his pet.

The cat nuzzled his master's face and licked his cheek.

"A pet always knows where his master is." Axel said. "Now come on let's get inside.

Zexion went to their apartment quickly and pushed the door open after unlocking the door. "Who's been feeding you?"

The cat stared into Zexion's eyes the moved his head to lick at the scar on Zexion's wrist.

"...He's been feeding you?" Zexion blinked and he stared oddly at the cat before setting him down. "Why would he feed you?"

Spook took off into the apartment after Roxas opened the door to explore his new home.

"Why would who feed who?" Axel asked.

"Marluxia." Zexion spat the name. "He's been taking care of Spook this whole time."

"Marluxia? That sad excuse for a vampire has been feeding your cat? Why?"

"Heck if I know..." The teen pouted and crossed his arms, landing himself in the couch. "Who's Marluxia? Roxas tilted his head to the side.

"A vampire you don't want to get mixed up with." Axel said and led Roxas back to their room with the bags. "The one who changed Zexion." he whispered.

"Is that why he got worked up when you said that I killed my sire?" The blond whispered back quietly.

"Probably. Most likely he wished that he had killed Marluxia." he said and dropped the bags and wrapped his arms around the blond.

"What's so bad about this vampire?" Roxas leaned into Axel's touch.

"Turning humans is a sport to him." he whispered pushing a hand up Roxas' shirt to flick a nipple.

The blond gasped and shied from the touch, blushing. "S-sport?"

"Yes. He turns them then leaves them to fend for themselves." he whispered and pressed his lips again Roxas' neck in a gentle kiss.

"Ah...I guess I can see why I would want him dead, then..." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"That's enough talk for now." he said kicking the door shut and running his fingers over Roxas' nipple again.

Roxas turned to face Axel and pulled him closer to his height. "You aren't asking this time..." He whispered and gently kissed him.

"Do I have to ask every time?" he asked softly and kissed the boy back.

"Maybe..." He closed his eyes. "Depends on how fast I can get used to you..." He whispered.

"Seems to me like you're pretty used to me already." he said lowering a hand to Roxas' crotch.

"It's only a few words...Is that too much to ask for?" The blond grasped his shoulders.

"It's hard to hold back when I'm around you." he said softly and pulled back slightly. "Can I touch you Roxas?" he breathed and squeezed Roxas' growing erection.

The teen nodded slowly, letting out a soft moan and he pulled Axel to the bed.

Axel didn't move and smirked. "Tell me." he breathed. "What do you want? Tell me."

"I...want you..." Roxas stared back at his mate and nodded. "I want everything."

Axel stepped forward and lowered his lover onto the bed. "Everything?" he whispered and cupped the boy's cheek.

"Everything." The blond slowly wrapped his legs around Axel's waist. "Show me how much I mean to you." He whispered.

Axel smirked and pulled off the boy's shirt. "I love you." he whispered and leaned down to nip at the boy's nipple.

"Nh...Axel..." Roxas blushed and turned his head to the side.

Axel pushed the boy's legs down and unbuttoned his pants. "I want to see you."

The teen nodded slowly and ran his hand through Axel's red hair. "Sure..." He whispered.

Axel removed the pants quickly and smirked as he stared at the boy. "You're gorgeous." he breathed and took the tip of Roxas' length into his mouth.

"Mm...I..." Roxas took a deep breath and leaned up on his elbows to look down at the older vampire. "You think so...?" He breathed.

Axel pulled away from the boy's length and smirked. "Of course." he said with a laugh. He moved up and kissed the blond.

Roxas kissed him back and let his hands slip down to quickly pull off his mate's shirt. Axel pulled out of the kiss to let the blond remove it, then went back to attacking his lips. Roxas ran his nails down the other's sides until the touch was interrupted by fabric. He nipped at the redheads lips and slowly unbuttoned the pants.

Axel pulled back. "You're sure you're ready to go that far?' he asked softly and placed a hand over Roxas's.

"Do I not mean that much to you then?" He tugged on the offending article of clothing, pulling Axel closer. "I told you..."

He straddled the boy's hips and grabbed his hands. "Say that you love me?" he whispered.

"I..." Roxas bit his lip and looked away. _'I can't do it on command...' _He whispered through the mental link, becoming slightly passive.

Axel frowned and leaned down to nuzzle the boy's neck. _'I'm not commanding you...' _he said back and licked at the pale skin.

_'I know...I...I love you...' _Roxas let his hands wander across his mates' abdomen.

Axel smiled and let out a happy sigh. "That's all I wanted to hear." he whispered and kicked off his pants.

The blond hugged onto the tall male and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry." He whispered against his chest.

Axel held his mate gently. "Why are you apologizing?" he whispered and kissed the top of his head.

"I'm such a selfish brat..." He shook his head. "I'm not sure I've thanked you for anything..."

"You don't have to thank me for anything Roxas." he whispered and lifted his lovers head. "Having you here is enough." he whispered.

"But I do...! You...you've done so much for me..." He looked away. "I'm not worthy of being your mate..."

Axel turned Roxas' head back and stared into his eyes. "Don't ever say that. You don't know it but you're saving me from myself. I would be in darkness if it wasn't for you."

"That's not...I'm not... "It took a moment for the blond to compose himself. "What do you mean?"

Axel sighed and climbed off of the bed to pull on his pants. He sat down and placed his fingers over an R-shaped burn on his chest over his heart. "I had one mate before you..."

Roxas frowned. "What happened?" He gently placed his hands on his shoulders.

Axel glanced over at the blonde and smiled. "He was killed. By hunters." he said softly and placed a hand over Roxas'.

"Was he weak and defenseless...like me?" He asked quietly and tilted his head to the side.

Axel chuckled and shook his head. "No, not at all. He died protecting me."

"...Oh." The sound he made barely resembled a word. "Did...did you get revenge?"

"No. I haven't been able to yet." he said and looked at the boy. "Things were very different back then."

"Different how?" Roxas draped his arms around his neck. "How far ago was 'then'?"

Axel chuckled and laid the boy back down. "1,983 years ago. And let's just say I wasn't in the position I'm in now."

"1,983 years? He's been gone that long?" Roxas bit his lip.

"No he only died ten years ago. But to me it's been a long time." he said and smiled at the boy.

"So...how were things different...back then?" Roxas ran a hand through his hair.

"I already told you. I'm not in the same position as I was back then." he said again.

"And what position was that?" Roxas shook his head in confusion.

Axel stared at the boy and laughed. "I wasn't the dominate one." he said.

A smile slowly came to the surface. "Really?" His hands dropped to his sides. "So...I'm your first to top, then?"

"No... I've had other lovers. No other mates but... you're my first mate that I've topped, yes." he said and leaned down to kiss his neck.

"Oh..." Roxas smiled. "What was his name? You're last mate, I mean."

Axel covered the scar and smiled sadly. "Reno." he breathed and closed his eyes.

"Hmm..." Roxas looked up. "I...I don't think I could understand what you're going through."

"Probably not." he said and looked at the younger vampire. "You said you've never had a mate. I hope that you never have to go through a breakdown."

"Well, I guess I have to keep you protected, then." Roxas tilted his head to the side. "Right?"

Axel chuckled and leaned over the boy. "You protect me? Who was the one who barbequed a hunter earlier? And who was the one who got shot?" he asked softly and ran his fingers over the place where Roxas was shot.

The blond bit his lip. "I...I was...trying to keep you safe." He looked away. "I wasn't planning on getting shot anyway, he surprised me."

"And that's why you need me. In case you get... surprised again." Axel stared into the boy's eyes. "I've been alive much much longer than you Roxas. I can take care of myself. I don't need to be kept safe..."

"Then don't insinuate that I may have a breakdown." The younger vampire snapped and crossed his arms.

Axel smiled and kissed the boy's neck. "Are you scared of losing me?"

"Ah-" Roxas blushed and looked away. "I...Wh-why should I? You seem to be taking care of yourself just fine."

Axel tilted Roxas's head back towards him. "Are you scared?" he asked again.

He closed his eyes and nodded slightly not wanting to say it out loud. If he did he felt that the possibility of it happening would become more real.

"I will never leave you. As long as you promise me the same." he whispered and touched their foreheads together.

"I promise...I won't leave you." Roxas opened his eyes and slowly wrapped his arms around Axel's waist in an embrace.

Axel smiled and pinned the blond to the bed. "I love you." he breathed and kissed Roxas softly.

The blond kissed him back and closed his eyes, his hands reaching up to run through his lover's bright red hair.

Axel ran his hands down Roxas's sides and stopped at his hips. _'Do you want to continue then?_'

Roxas licked at Axel's lips. _'Yeah...' _His hands slipped down the redhead's back and stopped when his hands made contact with his pants, bringing a slight frown to face.

Axel pulled out of the kiss and chuckled. "Not a fan of clothes right now are you?"

"If it's in then way, then of course I'm not a fan of it." Roxas quipped, a smile slowly forming on his lips.

Axel smiled and quickly removed his own pants. "Is that better?"

The teenaged vampire nodded and wrapped his legs around his waist. "Much better."

Axel smiled and moved one of his hands under Roxas and pushed a finger into him slowly.

Roxas bit his lip and closed his eyes. "I love you..." He whispered.

"I love you too." he breathed and pushed in another finger. "Does it hurt?"

The blond shook his head. "No...I'm fine." He looked up. "It's just...been a while."

"How long is a while?" he asked softly and stretched his fingers gently.

Roxas looked away, not wanting to answer and sighed. _'It doesn't matter.'_

Axel wanted to pry but he didn't want his lover to be upset with him so he shut his mouth and used it to pleasure his mate instead by kissing down his neck. Roxas relaxed a little and let out a small moan. He dragged his nails up his mate's back and licked his lips.

"Like that?" he asked nipping at the pale skin. "You want more?"

Roxas nodded and wrapped his arms around Axel's neck. "I want more..." He echoed quietly.

Axel smiled as he slipped his fangs into the younger vampires' vein and sucked. He let out a small moan and closed his eyes.

The blond gasped and hugged tightly onto his mate. "Th-that...feels nice." He whispered.

Keeping his fangs in Roxas's neck he pulled his fingers out and replaced them with his length.

"Nnh!" He bit his lip again and closed his eyes, this time drawing blood.

Axel moaned again and pulled his fangs from Roxas's neck. "Did I... Oh Goddess I hurt you!" he said noticing Roxas's lip.

"I...I'm fine." He licked his lip. "Don't-I-I hurt myself, I'm fine." Roxas blushed.

Axel frowned and kissed Roxas' mouth tenderly and licked at the wound. "I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing, next time I'll just bite you..." He kissed Axel back and nipped at his lips, gently.

Axel smirked. "I would like that too much..." he muttered and pushed all the way into the boy.

Roxas pulled him into a deeper kiss and closed his eyes.

Axel moaned and started a slow rhythm. _'I love you. So much'_

The blond pushed his tongue into his lover's mouth and traced the edge of his teeth. Axel moaned into the kiss and grabbed Roxas's hips violently and dug his nails into his skin. Roxas gasped and pulled out of the kiss but quickly moved to kiss Axel's neck.

Axel chuckled and pressed closer to the boy. "You feel so good."

The younger began to match his lovers pace and closed his eyes. "More..."

Axel lifted Roxas's legs and shifted his hips to thrust deeper. "How's that Roxas?" he breathed.

Roxas bit into Axel's neck slowly. _'Good.' _He moaned and pulled Axel close to himself.

Axel moaned and arched his back as his mate bit him. "Goddess I love you." he whispered as he started to pound into the blond.

The younger vampire bit deeper and a moan escaped his lips. _'I love you...'_

Axel let a growl escape his throat and he lifted one of Roxas's legs over his shoulder so he could move faster inside of him. Roxas dug his nails into Axel's back and pulled away licking the slowly healing mark he made.

"Roxas..." Axel moaned and placed a hand on the mattress to balance himself as he moved his hips faster.

The blue-eyed vampire bit him shallowly in a different spot and moaned quietly.

"You just can't get enough can you?" he asked and lowered his other hand to Roxas's erection.

_'I'm not being told to stop, am I?'_ Roxas playfully nipped at a different spot.

"No... Goddess... keep going." he moaned and cupped the boy's crotch.

The teen kissed his lover's neck, grazing his fangs along the jugular. "Mmm..."

"Oh... Roxas..." Axel pressed closer to the boy and pushed deeper into him. "So close..."

The blond squeezed Axel's shoulders and pushed his head back into the pillow and moaned loudly as he released.

Axel grunted and arched his back as he released inside of Roxas. "Roxas!"

Roxas pulled the redhead into a kiss and smiled. _'I love you, Axel...'_

Axel smiled back and kissed him back softly. _'I love you, Roxas.' _

The younger pulled away and closed his eyes. "So..." He pushed some sweaty bangs out of his face. "What's this about a job?"

Axel laughed and pulled out of the boy to lie next to him. "Why don't you rest a little bit?"

Roxas nodded. "I can do that too..." He whispered and closed his eyes.

Axel smiled and wrapped an arm around the boy. "I can get you a job as a waiter. Remember where we met?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah, I can do that, no problem..." He mumbled and closed his eyes again.

Axel smiled and kissed Roxas's forehead softly. "I'll let you take a little nap."

The blond vampire nodded. "Don't let me sleep too long."

"I'll be sure to wake you before work." he said and ran his fingers through the damp blond hair.


	15. Thin Walls

Chapter 15

Xehanort stood outside his captain's office, still unsure of what he wanted to say but nonetheless was ready to simply wing it if need be. With a deep breath he opened the door to the office and stepped inside closing the door behind him and locking it.

The blue haired man was sitting behind his desk on the phone. "Of course ma'am, yes ma'am I understand. We'll be sure to look into it right away. Yes ma'am, thank you. You too ma'am." he hung up the phone and rubbed his temples.

"Ah...Is everything ok?" Xehanort walked up to the desk slowly and shoved his hands in his pockets, knowing that in the next few minutes he'd be gesticulating too much for his own good, thus trapping them in his pockets.

"Oh yeah." he ran a hand through his hair. "That was just that boy's mother. Apparently some of his things went missing from their home."

"I see...Uhm...Is...now a good time to...talk?" Xehanort glanced around to make sure the blinds were closed.

"Talk?" Isa raised an eyebrow. "Talk about what?"

"About us." The tan officer pushed some hair behind his ear. "I've...been thinking a lot...about us."

Isa tensed in his seat and he bit his lip. In his head his thoughts were racing. 'Is he going to break up with me? Did I do something wrong?' "I thought we agreed not to talk about our personal lives at work, Norty." he whispered while looking down.

"I know, I know...but..." Xehanort walked around the desk and sighed. "It's just that...I have to say this."

Isa swallowed and tears pricked at his eyes. He didn't know what he did but somehow he must have upset his lover.

"I know how...unprofessional this is..." He paused and leaned on the desk. "Where exactly...are we going with this?"

Isa tried to find his voice, trying to keep his voice from cracking he refused to look at his lover. "I... I don't know. Y-you started this conversation..."

"No, not with this conversation, I mean about our relationship." He leaned closer to Isa. "I want to know..." He kept his tone soft.

Isa turned to look at the other man quickly, tears shining on his cheeks. "What did I do? Or not do? Or... I'm sorry..." he bit his lip and looked at his boyfriend. "Are you breaking up with me? Please don't break up with me... I'll change, I'll-"

"Wh-what?" He took the blue-haired man's face in his hands. "Isa, I-no! No, Isa, I would never break up with you...I was just wanting to know how you felt about our current situation. I wasn't looking to terminate it..."

Isa sniffled as more tears fell from his eyes. He buried his face in Xehanort's chest. "Don't scare me like that ever again..."

"I want to know if our relationship will get any farther than where we've brought it..." Xehanort said quietly and pet his lover's hair.

"You want us to move in together..." he whispered with a sniffle.

"I would like that...very much." He lifted Isa's head. "I'm only worried that our relationship will go no further when obviously that's what neither of us want..."

"You think we're ready for that kind of commitment?" he asked with a worried frown.

"I think I am." He corrected. "What worries me is that you aren't ready."

"I just don't want us to get so close and you figure out that you don't... want to be with me anymore... I don't want you to get bored with me." he whispered softly.

"Bored?" Xehanort smiled. "You think I would be bored with you if we got closer?" He kissed Isa gently. "I'm surprised you would ever think that. I love you, Isa."

"I love you too... I-I don't want to lose you." he whispered against the tan man's lips.

"And you won't. I don't plan on leaving your side of my own decision." He kissed him again, more deeply.

Isa kissed the man back and wrapped his arms around his shoulders to pull him closer. Xehanort placed a hand on his lover's shoulder gently and ran his other hand through the long pale blue hair. Isa moaned into the kiss and grabbed onto the lapels of Xehanort's shirt.

The white-haired man pulled away slightly and looked into his lover's teal eyes. "You're not telling me to stop...?"

"After that speech? No, we're going home early or you're locking that door." he whispered.

A small smile grew on Xehanort's lips as he pulled away. "I already did." He whispered back.

Isa smiled and he pulled Xehanort into a kiss and into his lap.

"Mm..." Xehanort began to work on his lover's shirt, slowly undoing the buttons and held tightly to the chair.

Isa moaned into the kiss then pulled away to stand up and push Xehanort into the leather chair. He smirked as he pulled off his tie.

The tan man raised an eyebrow and tugged at his own tie. "So I'm guessing that your answer is a yes, then?"

"I'll help you start boxing your stuff up tonight." he breathed as he straddled the other man.

Xehanort smirked and finished off the buttons of his lover's shirt. "I love you, Isa."

"You know if they don't know already... they're going to know when we start arriving at the exact same time every day."

"We're carpooling, saving the Earth's ozone layer." Xehanort smiled. "Ael and Larx know...and I don' care if anyone else figures it out."

"I don't care either... As long as you're mine..." he whispered and reached down to unbutton Xehanort's shirt.

"I will always be yours." He reached up and pulled Isa into another kiss, this time a tongue begging entrance.

Isa smirked into the kiss and parted his lips but instead of letting Xehanort's tongue in, he pushed his own into Xehanort's mouth. The tan officer pushed off his lover's shirt and pushed back on the tongue playfully allowing a quiet moan to escape. Isa smirked and tossed the shirt behind him, then pulled off Xehanort's tie violently. The brown-eyed man grinned and kissed Isa's neck and ran his hands down the pale skin and quickly began working the belt off of his lover.

Isa chuckled and pulled back to look down at the other man. "Norty this chair isn't going to work very well for what we want to do." he said unbuttoning the man's shirt quickly.

"Well, we can clear your desk off…" He grinned and turned the chair slightly towards the desk.

"That'll take too much time. Get your ass on the couch." he said with a smirk and pulled Xehanort into a kiss by his lapels.

Xehanort smirked and picked up his lover, continuing the kiss and nibbled on his lower lip. He carried him over to the couch and landed on top of him. Isa moaned softly and wrapped his leg around Xehanort's waist pulling their hips together. The tan man went back to work and pulled off his captain's belt, dropping it beside the couch and smiled into the kiss. Isa pushed the shirt off of Xehanort's shoulders and ran his hands down the tan chest. He pulled out of the kiss to breathe and he stared up at his lover.

"I love you, Isa." He breathed and leaned up to pull off his own belt. "I'm not sure I can say it enough, to truly make you understand…"

The younger man smiled and caressed Xehanort's face. "I understand Norty… I love you too…" he whispered and undid the other man's pants.

"Hmmm…" Xehanort smiled and ran his hands through Isa's hair. He leaned down and kissed his chest.

"Mmm… Norty…" he breathed and tangled his fingers in the man's silver hair.

The officer slowly made his way to a nipple and bit it gently, his other hand brushing against the other.

Isa let out a loud moan then put a hand to his mouth to quiet himself. "God… Norty… Love you…" he breathed and pressed Xehanort's head closer to himself.

Xehanort chuckled and sucked on the pink nub of flesh. "Careful, you don't want to be too loud…" He whispered against his lovers flesh and slowly pushed a hand down his pants.

"It's your own damn fault for being so damn good…" he mumbled and closed his eyes. "You always make it feel so good…."

The silver-haired man pulled his hand back out and licked his lips. "I'm not sure you can keep quiet enough for this, then." He smirked and ran a finger along the growing bulge in Isa's pants.

Isa whimpered and his hips arched into Xehanort's hand. "Norty…." he whined.

Th elder man popped open the button to his pants and slowly dragged down the zipper so he could slip both the pants and his boxers down his legs.

"You tease too much…" he breathed and placed his hands on Xehanort's shoulders as he kicked off his pants.

The silver-haired man returned to kissing his lovers abdomen and slowly made his way to kissing the tip of his member, after sliding off of the couch.

Isa sat up on his elbows and stared down at the man. "Norty… quit teasing…."

Xehanort slowly took his lover's length into his mouth and smirked looking up at Isa, massaging the base with his hands.

The blue haired man tried to keep his hips from bucking and tugged on the older man's hair. "Xeha-nort… more…"

"Mmm…" He groaned slightly at the feeling of his hair being pulled on and took more into his mouth, his hands now slowly working their way up his chest.

Isa bit down on a finger to keep from crying out. "Hnn…"

He began to bob his head and his fingers rubbed against his lover's nipples and he smirked around the length, pinching him gently.

"Oh God Norty!" he arched his back and ran his nails down Xehanort's neck and dug them into his back.

The elder moaned and placed a finger gently against his lover's lips in an attempt to quiet him. He deep-throated his partner but pulled back to suck at the tip.  
Isa's lips quivered as he grabbed Xehanort's hand and wove their fingers together.  
The tan man squeezed the hand gently and closed his eyes, returning to bob his head until he got what he wanted.  
"N-Norty... I'm coming..." he gasped out as his back arched, and he released into Xehanort's mouth.  
Xehanort pulled away, swallowing and crawled over top of Isa to kiss him gently. "I love you." He whispered.  
The younger man fell back on the couch and wrapped his arms around his lover. "I love you too..."  
"Mmm...I would have done more..." He whispered and smiled. A short knock on the door made him pull back reflexively, buttoning up his shirt.  
Isa ignored the door and pulled the man down roughly into a passionate kiss.  
Xehanort kissed him back and tried to pull away. "Captain? There's a few thing I wanted to go over with you." A young, quiet voice asked through the door and the girl hefted some files to keep some from slipping from her grasp.  
Isa moaned into the kiss then let him go. "I guess we need to get back to work?" he breathed.  
"At the very least..." Xehanort pulled away and quickly picked up his lover's shirt up off the floor and tossed it to Isa. "Captain?" He pulled on his tie and tightened it, running a hand through his hair.  
Isa pulled his pants on then stood up and started with his shirt. "Just a moment Aerith." he said and went in search of his tie.  
Xehanort handed his lover the tie in question. "We were just discussing a certain case." He smoothed out Isa's hair, kissing him on the forehead.  
Isa pulled him down into another kiss, then pushed him away with a frown to sit at his desk.  
Xehanort opened the door and let Aerith in and left the room, leaving the door open and Aerith nodded to him. He quickly set himself down at his desk and went straight back to work as if nothing had happened.  
Aeleus glanced over at his partner and smirked. "Smooth." he said with a laugh.  
"Hmm?" Xehanort turned his head to look back at his partner. "What?" Arlene shook her head and went back to her own work.  
Aeleus rolled over to Xehanort's desk in his chair. "Your tie's on backwards genius." he said flicking the article of clothing.  
Xehanort sighed and quickly fixed his tie. "Thanks..." He muttered and straightened it. "Isa just had a phone call from the case from a few days ago; you know you're first field job?"  
Aeleus frowned. "Yeah what about it?"  
"Some items are...missing from the victim's room. He'll probably have us search the area, see if there's anything we can find." Xehanort went back to his computer and pulled up the case-file.  
"Well we both already know where those missing items are." he whispered. "What are we going to do?"  
"Our jobs." Xehanort answered. "Ienzo is dead; we have to bring his killer to justice."  
"Ienzo said that man that killed him was too powerful for us to be able to take down." he said softly. "He warned me not to go after him."  
"It's not going to matter, we can't drop the case, unless it goes cold, and if more stuff keeps ending up missing..." Xehanort sighed.  
"Nothing else will go missing. I'll talk to him about it." he said quietly.  
Xehanort shrugged and sighed and Aerith walked out of Isa's office with a smile and half as many files as she had entered with.  
Aeleus elbowed his friend. "You uh... wanna go back in there and continue your conversation?"  
"The conversation was over...and he told me to go back to work." Xehanort answered and began typing away on his official notes.  
"Oh but you weren't in there nearly long enough." he said with a laugh.  
"It was a short conversation." He continued to focus on his work, trying not to glance up at his captain's office.  
"Oh so he did most of the talking because your mouth was full?"  
Xehanort stopped typing and tried to contain the blush that was rising to his cheeks. "Aeleus..." He spoke a quiet warning without bothering to look at his partner.  
Aeleus chuckled and rolled back to his desk. "Alright. I got the hint. Isa should install sound proof walls in his office." he added as an afterthought.  
"Thus, why I want to finish the short conversation after work." Xehanort answered and went back to work.  
He looked back over to Xehanort. "Is he really that loud?"  
"Why don't you go ask him, if you're so curious?" Xehanort looked back at his partner.  
"Oh but then he might get mad at us." he said. "So um did you ask him about... you know living together?"  
"With such thin walls I would have guessed you heard his answer." He shook his head with a heavy sigh.  
"Well I didn't hear everything... Just Isa proclaiming that you're his God or something like that."  
"I'll be packing my things tonight." Xehanort ignored the previous statement.  
"Oh! So you're moving in with him? Congrats Xehanort, you know Arlene is going to want to know." he said while standing up.  
"I'd rather not spread this to many else, she can figure it out on her own." He looked up. "Where are you going?"  
He sat back down quickly. "Nowhere now." he muttered and crossed his arms. "Do you need any help moving?"  
"Probably...Listen Isa likes to play with the ball in his court; if I take it away then he gets antsy." Xehanort frowned.  
Aeleus laughed and tilted back in his chair. "I could tell." he said.  
"Anyway...we should act like we're doing something half important before he decides to come out of his office." He rolled his eyes.  
Isa stepped out into the doorway of his office and leaned against the frame. "Xehanort?" he motioned for Xehanort to come back to his office.  
"If...he decides to come out of his office..." Xehanort mumbled and got back up to go inside the office.  
Aeleus laughed and went back to work, as Xehanort left. When Xehanort had entered the office Isa shut the door and locked it before pushing him up against the wall.

"Ah! Isa, you-" He was cut off by his lover's lips and he was left to simply kiss him back with just as much fire.  
Isa opened his mouth and gripped Xehanort's shirt in his hands.  
The silver-haired man let his tongue slip inside the inviting mouth and he wrapped his arms around the smaller male.  
Isa moaned into the kiss and moved closer pushing his knee into Xehanort's crotch gently.  
Xehanort gasped slightly and pulled out of the kiss. "Isa, you do-realize that-these walls are-pretty thin-right?" He attempted to get out a sentence between kisses.  
"I know this." he said and kissed down to the man's neck.  
"Mmm...I thought that maybe we could do this...later?" Xehanort whispered.  
Isa looked up. "Why? I don't plan on being loud this time."  
"But...I want to hear you..." Xehanort looked down. "Besides, what happened earlier was a breach of our rules..." He rubbed Isa's sides.  
"Screw the rules." he muttered and ran a hand down Xehanort's chest to his pants and popped open the button.  
"Isa..." The officer closed his eyes. "We can't wait 'til later? We can go home early, like you said?"

Isa pouted and looked up. "I was just going to return the favor. Or do you not like it when I give you head anymore?" he whispered as he ran a finger in circles over Xehanort's growing bulge in his pants.

Xehanort groaned quietly and nodded his head. "I love it..." He whispered and placed his hands on his lover's shoulders.

Isa smirked and lowered himself to his knees slowly. "Then let me take care of you..." he said running his lips down to the zipper.

The tan man stared down at the younger man and smiled, combing a bit of blue hair with his fingers.

Isa pulled the zipper down with his teeth and smirked up at the older man. "I love you..."

"I love you, too..." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before letting go of it slowly.

Isa smiled and pulled Xehanort's erection from his pants and started to lick at the tip.

"Mm..." He tilted his head back and leaned into the wall, taking a handful of Isa's long blue hair into his hand.

Isa smiled as he took to tip into his mouth and started to bob his head slowly.

Xehanort moaned quietly and curled his fingers around the bit of hair he was holding, tugging gently on it.

The younger man ran his hands up Xehanort's legs to his hips and held them in place as he took more into his mouth.

Xehanort looked down and stroked the top of his lover's head lovingly.

Isa glanced up at his lover and deep throated him, bobbing his head at a slow pace.

Xehanort let out a low moan and resisted the urge to buck his hips into his lover's inviting mouth.

He pulled back to suck at the tip and moved a hand over to stroke the base of Xehanort's erection.

He licked his lips and tilted his head back; whispering his lover's name quietly and he ran his hands through the thick blue locks of hair.

Isa pulled back and licked away the precum that was forming. "You always taste so good." he breathed and blew cold air on the tip.

"Hmm..." Xehanort felt his face flush and he wrapped a hand along the back of Isa's neck.

The blue haired man laughed and nipped at the tip. "I really love the sounds you make when I do this." he breathed and blew on the tip again.

Xehanort gasped slightly and looked back down; a small whining whimper of want escaped his throat.

Isa chuckled and took the tip back into his mouth as he continued to stroke with his hand.

"Mmn." The tan man took a fistful of hair and pulled on it, a little less gentle than before and let out a louder moan.

Isa pulled back with a wince. "So impatient." he muttered and deep throated the man again.

"Ah..." He breathed and let go of Isa's hair to place both hands on his shoulders. "Coming..." Xehanort whispered breathlessly.

He pulled back and sucked at the tip greedily.

The officer groaned quietly in his release and gently pet his lover's hair. "I love you, Isa..."

Isa pulled back as he swallowed and smiled up at the tan man. "I love you too..."

Xehanort pulled his lover up into a gentle kiss and closed his eyes, happy with everything that had occurred over the past hour.

Isa kissed him back and wrapped his arms around Xehanort's neck. He pulled back and smiled. "I want to go home..."

"Hmm...It's a bit early...to leave early, isn't it?" Xehanort smirked. "There's nothing else you need to do for today?"

Isa paused and glance to his desk then looked back at Xehanort. "No...?"

"What about that call you got before I came in here?" He leaned back into the wall, his arms still wrapped around his lover.

"I can do that later..." he whispered as his hands ran down to Xehanort's hips. "I want you now..."

"Ok, fine." Xehanort gently pushed him away. "Let me finish what I was doing and I'll be ready to leave."

Isa pulled the older man into a kiss then pulled away with a smile. "I love you."

"I love you too." Xehanort pulled his pants back up and ran a hand through his hair. "I'll see you at the apartment then?"

"You will. I'll be waiting..." he whispered and ran a finger down his chest. "Maybe with a can of whipped cream..."

"Sounds good." He inched slowly out of the room. "I won't be too long, I promise." The tan man whispered and went back to his desk to finish his work.

Aeleus looked up and smiled. "What did the boss want?"

"Ah, just another short conversation." Xehanort swiftly typed up a few sentences of an older report he still had to file.

"Oh you must have done most of the talking this time I didn't hear as many moans." he said quietly.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm glad I have a partner who's so comfortable with me."

"Well we gotta know everything about each other don't we?" he asked and leaned back in his chair, as Isa walked out of his office pulling on the jacket to his suit.

Xehanort cleared his throat. "Right..." He scrolled to the top to review his report and glanced to see his lover leave.

Aeleus watched the blue haired man leave and smirked as he looked back over at his partner. "Clocking out early?"

"I am actually." He saved the file and started turning off his computer. "What are your plans for the rest of the evening?"

"Um... I don't know maybe I'll leave early and go surprise Zexion." he said with a shrug.

"Well, have fun with that. I know I will tonight." He grinned and pulled on his jacket. "See you tomorrow, Ael."

"See you tomorrow." he said and went back to work.

Zexion stretched after watching mindless hour after hour of TV. The shows seemed to just blend together and didn't really give him any satisfaction as he thought they might have. He hoped that it was just having a blah day, rather than an effect of being easily bored as a vampire.

Axel emerged from his room down the hall with a huge smile on his face. He stretched and looked over his shoulder at Roxas.

The blond rubbed his shoulder and came out of the room. "So it's time to work, then?"

"Yep." he held his hand out for Roxas to take. "Zexion are you ready to leave?" he called out as they walked into the living room. "Oh here you are."

"I'm really ready to go...listen I..." He watched Roxas take Axel's hand. "I'd like to start...training as soon as possible."

"Training? Oh that's right I said I would train you. I didn't think you'd want to do it this soon." he said. "Why the rush?"

"You know...just...want to be stronger. I want to know how to do stuff, like you can." He rubbed his neck. "Hunters are in the area...don't want to be caught off-guard." He quickly mumbled out. Roxas bit his lip and looked up at Axel.

"I suppose it would be a good idea." he said and looked down at Roxas. "Starting tomorrow night we'll be training. We'll take shorter shifts at The Inferno."

Zexion nodded and started for the door. "Sounds good to me."

Roxas squeezed his hand. "There's no way I could take on Leon and Cloud..."

"Relax. You don't have to fight." he said and kissed the top of Roxas's head. "I'll protect you." he said as he squeezed Roxas's hand back.

"Hmm. I can't expect to just sit on the sidelines, there *are* two of them, you know." Roxas shrugged. "I'm not going to let you fight alone."

"I'm not fighting alone." he said. "The hunters aren't after me and Zexion. They're after friends of mine." he said.

"Well...that's good I guess." Roxas followed after Zexion, releasing his hand. "Well let's go wait tables."

Axel followed after his mate and locked the door behind them. "I take it that you want to wear guy's clothes and not girls clothes?"

"Well...that's good I guess." Roxas followed after Zexion, releasing his hand. "Well let's go wait tables."

Axel followed after his mate and locked the door behind them. "I take it that you want to wear guy's clothes and not girls clothes?"

Roxas looked up at the redhead and raised an eyebrow. "You mean I have a choice to wear which gender?"

"Yes. That you do." he said with a smirk. "So think about that on the way over." he said unlocking the car and getting in.

"Well the decision is obvious, guy's cloths-I'm not going to prance around in a dress." Roxas answered as he got in.

Zexion frowned as he made his way into the seat. "So glad to know that I could have had a choice, Axel." He rolled his eyes.

"Oh you? No, you didn't get a choice. You were going to wear girl's clothes. You're too pretty." he said and started the car.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Roxas crossed his arms and glanced to Zexion before staring at his mate.

"Well Zexion is more feminine than you are Roxas. That and I have to give you a choice, you're my mate." he said and cupped the boy's cheek. "Trust me Roxas; you are plenty more than just pretty to me." Axel said with a smirk.

"Hmmm, well..." Roxas closed his eyes. "You don't need to see me in a dress then."

"No..." Axel said and licked his lips. "But I would like to see you in one."

"You'd have to drug me and dress me if you wanted that." Roxas coolly smirked.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked and glanced at his mate.

"You'd dope me up just to see me in a dress?" The blond pulled away. "I'll have to be careful to make sure that never happens, then.

"I would never drug you." he whispered. "I could never hurt you in anyway."

"...I know." He sat back in his seat. "Let's just go to the Inferno." Roxas folded his hands in his lap.

Axel stared at the boy then turned his eyes back to the road. After a few minutes he turned into the parking lot behind the Inferno.

Zexion got out of the car and rubbed his eyes, stretching a little. "Axel, do you want me to take Roxas to a dressing room?"

"Yeah. Get him all dressed up for me." he said and got out of the car.

"Ok." Zexion nodded and waited as Roxas got out of the car. "You'll be going to a different room than Namine and I, obviously." He turned and went inside to the back entrance of the bar.

Axel smiled and walked into his own room.

"Mm...I think this is the room." Zexion opened the door and pulled Roxas inside. "Basically you just pick whatever you like and Axe l will think it looks good." He shrugged.

"Hmm..." Roxas walked over to a rack filled with suits and went through them.

"I'm pretty sure you don't need me helping you get dressed so I'll be in the other room." Zexion pushed the door open slightly.

Roxas turned quickly. "What do I do after I get dressed?" he asked then bit his lip. "And um... what color do you think Axel would like on me?"

"Hmm..." Zexion walked over to the rack and stared at the colors he could choose from, then he quickly studied the blond's face. "Wear something that will bring out the blue in your eyes...like that tie over there." The younger vampire pointed. "As for what to do...you can wait at the bar for Axel or Namine...she'll probably be training you until you feel comfortable on your own."

"R-right." he said and looked at the tie. He pulled out a black suit and sighed.

"I'm gonna go change, so I'll see you out there, if you have any problems just knock on the door to your right." Zexion left the dressing room closing it behind him and headed to his own.

Roxas looked back at the suit and started to pull off his own clothes and pulled on the suit. He grabbed the tie and stared at it. He poked his head out the door and headed to the door to the right of his room.

Zexion rubbed the back of his neck staring at the dresses he had to choose from and frowned when he couldn't make a decision. "Why can't I just pick one and be done with it?" He muttered to himself.

Roxas knocked on the door and pushed the door open slowly. "Zexion?"

"Hm?" The smaller male turned and nodded for Roxas to come inside. "What's wrong?"

"I um... I don't know how to...tie a... tie." he said quietly and held up the blue accessory.

"My brother didn't either." He waved for him to stand in front of the mirror after closing the door and took the smooth fabric from his hands. "I'll tie it for you, but then I'll untie it, so that you can do it yourself, ok?"

Roxas nodded and stood in front of the mirror. "Alright. Got it."

Zexion stood behind the blond and tied it slowly making sure to watch where Roxas' eyes were going and tapping his finger if he was paying attention to the wrong hand, once he was finished he took it apart and let go of him. "Ok, now try, and make sure you don't try to choke yourself with it and don't let the tail hang low."

Roxas mimicked the other vampire's hands but the tie ended up being messier then when Zexion did it. "Like that?"

The slate-haired teen frowned slightly and quickly fixed the mistake. "You'll get the hang of it." Zexion sighed and turned back to the rack. "Well, I've helped you, now you help me." He gestured to the rack. "What should I wear?"

"Um..." he walked over to the dresses and looked at them."How do you wear these? You're a man for pete's sake..."

"I...just do." He shrugged. "I'm petite and skinny and there's nothing I can do about it." Zexion crossed his arms, staring at the dresses on the other end.

"Do you like wearing them?" he asked and pulled out a green and black one.

"Is there a problem if I do?" Zexion raised an eyebrow and looked at the dress in Roxas' grip.

"No I'm just wondering why that's all." he said and looked at the dress. "This one?"

Zexion nodded after a bit and sighed, taking it from Roxas. "Axel asked me the same question and I didn't answer him..." He mumbled. "But honestly now I can say that I like wearing dresses...because my boyfriend likes it."

"Your boyfriend? Like your mate?" he asked and sat down. "Is he a vampire?"

Zexion shook his head and set the dress aside. "No...but he will be." The teen pulled off his shirt, his back to the blond.

"Ah... um... do you want me to uh leave?" he asked and stood up.

"Do you want to watch me get into a dress?" Zexion couldn't help but smile. "If I'm not out within five minutes send Namine in, I'm probably having trouble finishing the dress' lacing."

"Alright." he hurried out of the room and shut the door behind him. He looked down the hall wondering what Axel would be wearing.

Axel walked out of a room down the hall and looked down at Roxas. He smiled when he saw how cute the blond was.

"Oh, uh...Is this...good enough for you?" He asked with a slight blush.

Axel walked towards him slowly then took the tie into his hand and pulled Roxas closer. "You look amazing."

"Y-yeah well...Zexion picked out the tie; I didn't do anything, really." He looked away his blush getting redder.

"The suit looks good." he said, lifting Roxas's head to stare into his eyes.

Roxas placed his hands on his mate's shoulders and bit his lip. "Stop that." He said simply.

"Stop what?" he asked and leaned closer to give him a quick peck on the lips.

"Staring at me like that." He mumbled quietly. "I feel weird when you do that."

Axel smiled and put an arm around Roxas's waist. "Weird how?"

"Just...I don't know!" Roxas twisted a little in his lover's grasp.

Axel dropped the tie to place a hand over Roxas's heart. "Does it make your heart pound?"

"You...look like you're really hungry, when you look at me like that..." Roxas whispered.

"That's because you make my mouth water." he said and kissed down his neck to a vein.

The blond closed his eyes and pulled Axel closer. "I knew you were hungry..."

Axel bit into the blonds' neck and wove his fingers into his hair to pull his head back.

"Ah." Roxas went limp at first but quickly regained his strength, wrapping his arms tighter around his lover's neck. Axel drank deeply and ran his hand over Roxas's ass and pinned him to the wall.

"Mmah" The blond wrapped his legs around the red-head's waist, pulling him closer and resting a hand on the back of his neck.

Axel moaned softly and pulled his fangs out licking at the wound. "I love you." he breathed.

"I love you too..." Roxas nuzzled Axel's neck and grinned. "My turn." He whispered before gently biting down.

Axel groaned and tilted his head back. "Feels so good…" he breathed and pulled Roxas's head closer, while lowering a hand to Roxas's ass.

Roxas drank his mate's blood and his eyes slipped closed. _"You really shouldn't do that… we do have to work, don't we?"_

Axel took a deep breath. "Well yes but… we don't open for another… I don't remember right now… but I can spare some time for us."

_"Hmm…" _Roxas ran his fingers through Axel's hair as Zexion came out of the dressing room and groaned.

"Oh so that's why no one came back to help me." He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

The redhead glanced over at the boy and frowned. "Hey there Zexion."

The blond pulled away quickly and blushed, slipping out from between Axel and the wall. "S-sorry…" Roxas said licking his lips.

The teen sighed and looked to the side. "I need help."

Axel sighed at the loss of his mate's body against his and stepped closer to Zexion. "With what?"

"The laces… Roxas picked it out. This is one of Namine's dresses." the boy murmured.

"Oh. Well we should go find Nam for that." he said and held his hand out for Roxas.

Roxas took his lover's hand and bit his lip. "Namine will be at the bar?"

"No, most likely in the kitchen or at the waiter station." Axel said and led the two boys' down the hall.

"Oh, I think I should be learning these things." Roxas raised an eyebrow. "That could just be me though."

"You'll learn them soon enough. Zexion and Namine will teach you." Axel said and leaned over to kiss the blond's temple.

Zexion sighed. "I think it'll be easier if you just send Namine my way. I don't really want to run around without being fully dressed."

Axel looked over his shoulder at the younger vampire. "Alright just sit tight then." he pulled Roxas down the hall and into the waiter station.

The slate-haired teen bit his lip and leaned against the wall. The dress was more conservative and with it more laces were involved.

Namine stood up from checking the stock of straws and silverware and smiled when she saw Roxas and Axel. "Well you two look positively dashing tonight. Starting tonight Roxas?"

The blond nodded. "Yeah… Zexion said you'd be training me?" he glanced up at Axel.

Namine nodded back. "Yep. That's my job. Training new employees." she said. "Where's Zexion?"

"He needs help with his dress." Axel said.

"Yeah it's one of your dresses I think?" Roxas crossed his arms. "The laces, I think that's his problem."

"Oh a corset, He doesn't like those, I don't know why he insists on wearing them." she said while walking through the door her sire and his mate came from.

Axel looked down at Roxas. "Want to see the bar?"

"Yeah sure." Roxas nodded and tilted his head to the side. "It's where you'll be working… right?"

"Indeed. Do you want to see my skills?" he asked as he pulled the blond to the front of the restaurant.

"Skills, hmm?" Roxas shrugged. "Alright, show me what you can do." He dropped his hands to his side.

Axel smirked and walked behind the bar. "What would you like to drink?"

"Uh…" Roxas blinked. "Ah… make me something completely new." he smirked. "Make something… that reminds you of me."

"Hmm…" Axel smiled then went to work. He flipped a martini glass into salt then put some ice and other ingredients into a blender. He turned it on and after it was done poured in into the glass. "There. Try that." he said putting the drink on the bar in front of Roxas.

Roxas took a small drink and pulled away quickly, staring perplexedly at it. "Wh-what is that?"

Axel smirked and leaned on the counter. "A sea-salt martini. Is it no good?"

"Mm…" Roxas took a thoughtful pose and smiled. "No. It's just different. I like it… it's… sweet."

"Well you said something that reminded me of you." he said and walked out of the bar to Roxas.

"It was sour at first…" he took another drink. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means exactly what you think." he said. "A little sour, stubborn and cold. But then sweet, loving and adorable." he said pulling Roxas close and kissing the side of his neck. "Besides that's what you taste like. Sweet but with a slight kick."

"I guess I'll have to find something that tastes like you then." Roxas smiled, a slight blush tingeing his cheeks.

Axel smiled. "I can't wait to see what you pick then. What do I taste like?" he asked and wrapped his arms around the blond to pull his back to his chest.

Roxas leaned into Axel and raised an eyebrow. "Hm… spiced apple cinnamon."

"So like apple cider?" he asked and ran a hand over Roxas's hip. "Maybe with a little spiced rum?"

"Ah… I knew it tasted familiar… though… you're ten times better." the younger vampire blushed,

"Oh? Am I now?" he smirked. "I'm glad I taste better than a drink." he said kissing up to Roxas's jaw line.

"Mmm…." he closed his eyes. "That tickles…" Roxas grinned.

"Does it?" he breathed against Roxas's skin and pinned him to the bar.

The younger vampire leaned back into the counter and wrapped his arms around Axel's neck. Axel smiled and leaned down to press their lips together just as Aeleus walked in the front door holding a bouquet of multi-colored tulips. "Oh…um…"

Roxas pushed Axel away when he realized someone was in the bar. _'This is embarrassing…' _he began to blush.

_'Relax. It's only Zexion's mate.'_ he said and pulled away. "Hello. I take it you're here for Zexion?"

"Um yeah. Is he here tonight?"

"Yes, but I'm afraid he has to work a little first. You're welcome to sit at the bar after you give him the flowers."

"Oh thank you." he said and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry if I interrupted… anything."

"A-Axel was just… showing me the bar." Roxas looked away. _'That's a little annoying…'_

_ 'What is?'_ he asked as he walked back behind the bar. "Yeah Zexion should be out soon."

Roxas stared at Axel. _'I should have known that he was coming inside, but I completely missed it…'_

Zexion came out from the back and fiddled with the ribbon in his hair. When he took in a small breath of a mouth-watering scent mingling slightly with the subtle smell of flowers, his eyes snapped to Aeleus and a smile spread across his face. "What are you doing here?"

Aeleus walked over to his boyfriend with a smile. "I got off early and decided to come surprise you. I got these for you." he handed Zexion the tulips.

"Ah… thanks!" the teen smelled the flower. "I'll have to put these somewhere safe."

"You like them?" he asked and stepped closer to the boy. "The girl at the flower shop said they had some special meanings…"

"They're really pretty… I like the yellow ones." he grinned. "Are you really hopelessly in love with me?"

"That and so much more." he whispered as he pulled Zexion into his arms.

"Ah!" he held the flowers away and bit his lip. "A-Ael…" Zexion whispered.

"What? I can't hug my boyfriend?" he smiled. "Are you coming over tonight?"

"Ah, no it's just…" he looked up at his lover. "The laces… are kinda tight…" Zexion breathed. "And… I-if you want me to, sure."

"Laces?" he ran a hand up Zexion's back. "Oh sorry." he said and let go of the boy. "I would love for you to come over tonight."

"I'll see if I can get Axel to let me go." Zexion smiled. "I'm sure it won't be that much of a problem."

"The red-haired guy? I already talked to him. He said that you had to work at least a little bit tonight…" he laughed.

"Oh well in that case." he glanced at Aeleus's wrist. "I hope I won't take that long then." Zexion turned slightly. "There might be a vase in my dressing room."

"Oh um… would you like some help? I mean if I'm allowed back there." he said softly.

"I don't see why it would be a problem… Namine's already changed." the teen started heading towards the back rooms.

Aeleus followed him into the back on the building. "That dress looks great on you by the way."

"Does it really?" Zexion looked behind himself, recalling what Roxas has asked him.

"Of course. You always look so gorgeous when you're working. Well I mean you always look amazing but the dresses… I like them…" he said looking Zexion up and down.

"Cool…" he opened the door to his dressing room and went inside. "It's good to know that it pays off, wearing these."

"Well you don't have to wear them just because I like them." he said as he looked around.

"Actually… I do." he picked some old flowers from a vase and dropped them into a trash basket. "Axel told me I'm too pretty to not wear them."

Aeleus coughed and rubbed the back of his neck as he blushed. He agreed with Axel. "I'll have to thank him then…" he whispered.

"You'll have to thank him for a lot." Zexion placed the tulips in the vase and turned around. "I owe him a lot."

"So do I then." he said and walked over to Zexion. "I never would have known you if not for him."

"Hmm…" the teen came closer. "But he's also the reason why I have to work."

"Well yes but you need to work to earn your keep." he said and placed his hands on Zexion's hips. "I can have a little patience."

"I guess so…" he reached up and pulled him into a kiss. "It helps keep me busy while I wait for eternity to be over."

"Well soon… you'll have me to wait with you." he said and wrapped an arm around Zexion's waist to pull him closer for another kiss.

"Mmm…" the teen kissed him back and wrapped his arms around the human and nipped gently at his lips.

Aeleus lifted the boy up and moved him over to the small couch. He lowered them onto the couch so that Zexion was straddling him. Zexion deepened the kiss and held onto him tighter. Aeleus ran a hand up the skirt of Zexion's dress and pushed his tongue into his mouth.

Suddenly the door to the room slammed open and Axel stood in the door way.

"Ah!" the teen pulled away blushing, fangs slightly extended. "A-Axel?"

Aeleus pulled back quickly taking his hands off the boy like his father just walked into the room.

"Zexion… you have work to do. Come on, the make-out session is over." Axel said his hands on his hips.

"But…" Zexion looked away, putting his hands to his lap. "I uhm…" he attempted to get off his lover.

"Come on, you can have all the fun you want in a few hours." Axel said and crossed his arms.

Aeleus helped the boy off of his lap, biting his lip. "Sorry Zexion…"

"No… I should be apologizing…" he covered his mouth and looked to Axel. "You want me to walk around like this?" The teen dropped his hand and raised an eyebrow.

Axel sighed and shook his head. "Dammit Zexion. You need to learn some self control." he muttered. "He's going to have to feed you. I don't have anything for you."

"Yeah well… it's hard to do, I'm not thousands of years old like you!" he whined.

Axel sighed again. "Come on out to the bar, I'll get you a glass to drink from." he said and turned around. "If he'll feed you that is."

Aeleus looked up at Zexion when Axel left. "So you need blood, I take it?"

Zexion simply nodded. "It's… my fault." he started to leave. "I'm probably a huge pain to you."

Aeleus stood up and pulled Zexion into a hug. "Now why would you think that you were a pain?" he said nuzzling Zexion's neck. "I'm happy to feed you."

"Because… you gave me your blood." he reached up to touch Aeleus's face. "And now I feel like…"

He leaned into Zexion's touch and smiled. "Feel like what?"

"…Feel like it's the only thing I want." Zexion rubbed his cheek. "Like nothing else is good enough."

"Well I'm glad that you like it so much. At least it means that I'm important and that you need me." he whispered.

"It's… not really a blessing. The teen pulled his hand back. "To have a vampire up in your business wanting to feed off of you constantly."

"Call me a thrill seeker." he said, setting the boy down. "I just love danger." he laughed and smiled. "I don't think of it like that. It make me feel important and needed."

"Hmm, I guess I should go get that glass from Axel." the teen pulled away. "You just wait here, I'll be right back." he turned to leave.

"Alright." he sat back down on the couch. "Hurry back." he whispered with a smirk.

Zexion quickly headed towards the bar and stared at Axel. "So, you going to tell me how the heck I'm supposed to control myself?"

"It's not something that can be explained or taught." Axel said putting a glass on the bar counter. "You'll learn it soon enough."

The teen grabbed the glass. "I think I'm doing pretty good, considering how long I've been a vampire." he muttered.

"You are doing well." he said. "I'm just telling you to be careful."

"I'm trying." Zexion returned back to his dressing room with a sigh. "Sorry, again… I just…" he held the glass up.

Aeleus was pulling the bandages off his wrist from when he fed Zexion a few days ago. "Welcome back… um do you have a knife or…?"

The teen blushed without thinking of grabbing something to cut him with. "Ah, I… I uh, didn't think to grab something like that…" he stuck his thumb to his mouth, where the fangs grinded unpleasantly against his other teeth.

"Oh um… I might have my pocket knife on me." he said and reached into his back pocket looking for his knife.

Zexion turned his back to Aeleus and bit his lip. "You really shouldn't…want to have to keep doing this, for me."

Aeleus pulled out his knife and frowned. "And why shouldn't I? I like feeding you."

"…You like feeding me so that I don't feed from…others, is more like it?" The teen closed his eyes.

Aeleus was silent. "So that might have a little to do with it but… I like the way you look when you drink my blood." he whispered.

Zexion blushed. "The way I…l-look?" He turned quickly. "What do I look like?"

"You look so cute. Like you really enjoy it… a lot." he said with a smirk. "Like you're in complete ecstasy…"

"Uhm…well, I wouldn't know what I'd look like." He waited for his lover. "But…it is true, you're blood…is the sweetest."

Aeleus smiled and flicked open his knife. "I'm glad you like mine the best." he slid the blade across his wrist above the previous cut and winced slightly.

Zexion quickly held the glass below his wrist and watched as Aeleus' blood dripped slowly into the cup and had to resist getting closer.

Aeleus grunted as he squeezed his hand into a fist to speed up the blood flow. "How much do you need?"

"Mm…" He licked his lips. "I…" Suddenly Zexion didn't think it was a good idea to actually watch the blood go into the clear cup. "Th…th-that should be good…enough…"

Aeleus grabbed the bandages and went to rewrap his wrist. "You sure it's enough?"

The teen nodded his head and slowly drank from the glass. "Wait…" He said after another sip. "I…want to try something…"

The human looked up and arched an eyebrow. "Try something?" he asked. "Like what?"

Zexion finished the cup off and set it down. "Axel tells me I need to control myself." He whispered. "I want to see how close I can get…" He knelt down and closed his eyes, brushing his face against Aeleus' forearm to urge more blood to flow.

Aeleus frowned and ran the fingers of his free hand though Zexion's hair. "What are you going to do?"

The vampire held his wrist gently and let his tongue slip out to lick the wound and had to hold back a moan, drinking from the source was definitely better than from a cup.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" he asked softly. "Can you control yourself well enough?"

"As long as I don't bite…" He whispered, blowing air across his skin. "You'll be fine." Zexion licked at the wound again.

Aeleus squeezed his fist again and blood flowed from the cut. "There." he whispered and smiled down at the boy.

"Mm…Aeleus…" Zexion felt his mouth water and he felt himself wanting more.

"Try to stick with just the tongue Zexion." he breathed and ran his fingers through the dark hair.

Zexion knew that if he were to go any farther than simple licking, he would most likely end up biting him. But that didn't keep him from brushing his fangs against his lover's skin.

Aeleus gasped and pulled his wrist away slightly before letting the boy have it again. "Careful…"

"Ah, did…did you not like that?" Zexion looked up, feeling a strange sense of hurt and confusion.

"No it just startled me is all… I'm not quite ready to be like you just yet." he said and caressed his cheek. "If you want more… go ahead."

The look of hurt settled over the teen's face. "…Oh." He shook his head and rubbed his face gently against his arm. "I know…"

"Zexion… if you want more…" he said and lifted his wrist a little closer to Zexion's mouth. "You can have more."

He nodded and licked at the older man's wrist, this time to look up at Aeleus. _'I wish you would just ask me…'_

Aeleus frowned and leaned down to kiss his forehead. "I love you Zexion." he whispered.

"I love you, too…" The teen licked at his wrist a final time and shifted so that his lips met Aeleus's.

Aeleus kissed the boy deeply and pulled him up into his lap.

"You have no idea…how much I want you to be just like me…" He whispered between kisses.

"I have a pretty good idea…" he breathed and looked into Zexion's eyes. "Just a little longer…"

"I can wait." Zexion lied-he felt himself wanting to feel Aeleus' fangs pierce his neck and to drink from him. He wanted to know what it felt like, to be on the receiving end.

"You're lying…" he whispered and caressed his cheek gently.

Axel walked into the room and cleared his throat. "Zexion… You have work."

Zexion closed his eyes and leaned forward onto Aeleus. _'I don't want to do anything right now…'_

Axel frowned and walked into the room. "Zexion?" he kneeled down and put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"I…feel fine…" He whispered quietly into Aeleus' chest. "I feel…perfectly fine." Zexion turned to look at Axel.

"Would you like to take the night off? You don't look so good to me." he whispered and looked into his eyes.

"I don't?" The teen tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean? I feel fine."

Axel cupped Zexion's cheek in his hand. "You look emotionally drained right now." he whispered into his ear so Aeleus couldn't hear.

"What's…that supposed to mean?" Zexion whispered back, taking on a defensive pose.

Axel sighed. "I know what it is that you want from him, Zexion. Just take a personal night."

"What am I supposed-?" The boy frowned slightly and closed his eyes. "I feel fine, though."

"Fine you want to work? I was giving you the night off so you could spend it with Aeleus, but if you would prefer to work then…" Axel said as he stood up.

"N-no, that's ok. If you think I would be better off not working…then I won't." He glanced back to Aeleus. "That's what you had in mind anyway, wasn't it?"

"Well yeah…" Aeleus blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.

Axel stood up and walked to the door. "Looks like Nam laced you up for nothing."

"At least…taking them apart is easier to do." Zexion rolled his neck and started to work on the laces.

Aeleus reached behind Zexion and helped to pull the laces lose. "Is that better?" he asked as Axel left the room.

"Definitely better." The teen looked up. _'Emotionally drained? Because…he won't let me…'_ He let out a short sigh, cursing himself mentally.

Aeleus stared down at the boy. "Something funny?" he asked and slid the dress off his shoulders.

"Ah, funny, no." Zexion shrugged slightly allowing the dress to slip further. "Just, thinking, it's nothing."

"Hmm…" Aeleus stared down at the boy's chest as the dress slipped from his upper body. "Thinking huh?" he asked and leaned down to kiss down the boy's neck to his chest.

"Wait." He rested his hands on his shoulders. "We can't…do this later?" Zexion bit his lip.

"Yeah we can wait… I just wanted a little taste." he said and nipped at one of Zexion's nipples.

"Mmn!" He dug his nails into his lover's back and his face flushed. "A-Aeleus…"

The human pulled back and smirked. "Don't you want to go change?" he asked. "So we can leave?"

"Y-yeah…" Zexion pulled away and quickly pulled off the dress and went in search of his clothing.

Aeleus leaned back on the couch and smirked at his lover. "You make such cute sounds when I touch you." he said softly, watching the teen dress.

"You know exactly where to touch me." Zexion pulled his shirt over his head and put the dress back where it belonged.

Aeleus chuckled and stood up. "I call it a talent." he said and walked over to the vanity.

Zexion laughed. "Well, then show me…how talented you are." He wrapped his arms around his chest. "Hmm?"

Aeleus turned around as he smirked and lifted the boy up off the ground. "Of course. As soon as we get home." he said and carried the boy out of the room.

"I love you…" Zexion licked his lips. "I really…really love you." He reached up to kiss his lover.

The human smiled and held Zexion close. "I know, and I love you too Zexion…. So, so much." he said and pressed their lips together.

"Hmm…"The teen shifted so that he was facing Aeleus completely and wrapped his legs around his waist as he deepened the kiss.

Aeleus smirked against Zexion's lips and moved a hand onto his ass. He pushed his tongue into the boy's mouth and pulled him closer.

Zexion moaned quietly and sucked on the intruding tongue, grinding his hips against the other man's body.

Aeleus chuckled and pulled out of the kiss and smiled. "So anxious…" he said and kissed down the boy's neck.

"Ah…I want you…" Zexion tilted his head back. "I want to be with you…" He whispered.

"Do you want me inside of you?" he breathed and closed his lips around Zexion's adam's apple.

The vampire groaned loudly. "I want it all…" He looked down. "I want…everything."

"You can't have everything just yet… but soon you can have me." he whispered. "And tonight… I'll be sure you make you feel really good." he said softly.

Zexion growled and narrowed his eyes. "I want more than just that…" He pulled away slightly.

Aeleus smiled sadly. "I know… you just have to be a little patient. Don't be angry with me Zexion."

The vampire frowned. "I…" He shook his head, wanting now to simply stop the contact he was having, something was screwing with his mind, he said he'd wait, didn't he?

Aeleus set the boy down worry on his face. "I didn't mean to upset you." he cupped Zexion's cheek and kissed him gently. "You'll have me soon."

"I know…" He whispered and looked away. "Axel's right…I shouldn't be working…"

"Why? What's wrong? Are you nothing feeling well?" he asked putting the back of his hand to Zexion's forehead.

"I…just think I-I'm a bit…high-strung right now." He bit his lip and held onto his arms.

Aeleus took back his hand and frowned. "We should get you home to rest then." he said softly.

"Feel like…my body is on fire right now…" He looked back to Aeleus. "I guess I should just relax…"

"Do you need some medicine?" he asked and bit his lip in worry. "Should I get you to a doctor?"

"Doctor?" Zexion couldn't help but laugh. "I don't think they can help me with whatever the hell is wrong with me."

"I'm worried… Did I make you sick?" he asked softly and lifted the boy into his arms bridal style.

"I'm not sure…but if you haven't quite noticed…I'm not really a human anymore, I can't just ask the doctor to diagnose me with some illness." He smiled slightly.

"Well how am I supposed to make you better?" he asked and carried Zexion out the back exit of the building.

"Giving me what I want." The teen shook his head. "But that isn't a choice I have." He sighed.

Aeleus frowned as he carried Zexion to his car then set him down. "I'm sorry Zexion. I hate denying you, I really do. Keeping you from the one thing you want the most, it kills me inside. I just have a few things left I want to do."

"I know." The vampire sounded frustrated. "I know!" He crossed his arms. "I think the best decision right now would be for me to just go home."

Aeleus had a look of hurt on his face. He bit his lip and nodded. "Alright… if that's what you want." he said quietly and unlocked the car opening Zexion's door for him.

The vampire crawled into the car and frowned at himself. "I need time to think…or something, something to calm my nerves…"

"You want me to let you be by yourself then?" he asked before shutting the door.

Zexion simply nodded and closed his eyes rubbing his temples. "I need to be alone, I think. I'm not myself…"

Aeleus nodded and shut the door, then went around to get in on his side. "Do you need me to get you anything?" he asked.

"No. I'm…I just need to be alone…figure out what exactly has me going 60 to 0 with wanting to be with you…It's really pissing me off." He closed his eyes and covered his head with his hands.

"Hey don't worry about it. If you need space and rest then you got it." he said and kissed the boy's forehead. "I love you."

The boy took a moment to respond before finally repeating the sentiment then pressed his head to the window to look out.

Aeleus ran his fingers through Zexion's hair then started the car and drove to Zexion's apartment complex.


	16. Sweet Sixteen Surprises

Chapter 16

Tifa looked up from her desk as a girl walked through the door to the precinct and narrowed her eyes. She recognized this girl from her previous visits. If she remembered correctly this girl was Aeleus' girlfriend.

'Zexia' leaned on Aerith's desk to ask how things were going and then if he could visit Ael to give him lunch. After a bit of banter with the secretary he turned to Ael's desk.

Tifa stood up from her desk and moved quickly to step in front of the girl. "You're... Zexia, right?"

"Uhm..." Zexion looked up at the woman and blinked. "Yes, ma'am?" He was unsure of what to say to her.

She smiled and crossed her arms. "He's very lucky. You're a very beautiful young lady."

"Oh! Th-thank you..." Zexion pushed some hair behind her ear, feeling his cheeks turn pink.

"He must worry you a lot though. Being a police officer and all." she said. "Always being in the line of danger."

"He loves what he does." He shrugged. "I don't worry about him at all, he's good at his job."

"Indeed." she said and her eyes drifted down to Zexion's wrist. She grabbed the supposed girls' wrist and smiled at the cuff. "What a lovely ribbon."

"Thanks." Zexion furrowed his brow and looked at her hand that was gripping his wrist a little too tightly.

Tifa looked up to Zexion's face then back down to the wrist. Without a word of warning she pulled off the wrist cuff and turned the boy's hand over to look at the inside of his wrist.

"Hey!" Zexion pulled on his wrist and grabbed the ribbon. "You might like it but it's not yours to take!" He looked back at his wrist covered in thin little scars.

Tifa frowned and let the boy go. "You shouldn't do that. It's not healthy." she said nodding at Zexion's wrist.

"It's none of your business what I do with my body." Zexion curtly replied, glaring up at her. "Excuse me." He moved to wrapped the ribbon back on his wrist as he walked over to Aeleus' desk.

Aeleus looked up from his desk and smiled when he saw Zexion. "Hey!" he stood up and walked over to the boy. "What was all that about?"

"I…" He wrinkled his nose. "I'm not sure. I made lunch!" He held up the cooler with a smile.

"Aw how sweet… What's the occasion?" he asked and took the cooler from his hands.

"Ahm…a-an apology….for last night." Zexion bit his lip. "I was wondering if you could…leave early?"

"Oh um I'd have to talk to my boss about that." he said and put an arm around Zexion's waist to pull him close. "You look amazing by the way."

"Oh, thanks!" The teen smiled wider, but his encounter with the woman made him anxious.

Aeleus led Zexion over to his desk and sat him down in his chair, and set the cooler on the floor. "I'll be right back." he said and headed over to Isa's office.

"Hmm…" The vampire pulled his cell phone from his back pocket and started to text Axel about the woman. 'Think I ran into a hunter at Aeleus' work…'

Xehanort glanced over at Aeleus' desk and turn his chair when he saw a girl sitting there. "And who might you be?"

"Oh, ah…Zexia. What's your name?" He pushed a bit of hair behind his ear and smiled.

Xehanort crossed his arms and stood up to walk over to Aeleus' desk. "My name's Xehanort. I'm Aeleus' partner."

"Oh, nice to meet you." Zexion held his hand out. "I'm Aeleus' girlfriend."

Xehanort smiled and leaned on the desk. "Very nice to meet you too… Zexion."

"Ah, n-no it's Zexia." He said his alias slowly and frowned slightly. "It's ok, people mess it up all the time."

"No I'm pretty sure I have your name right." he said. "Aeleus told me about you and I must say I'm not exactly thrilled about the situation."

"Uhm. What…do you mean?" Zexion tilted his head to the side feeling odd about the man knowing his name. "He told you, then?"

"Yes." he said bitterly. "I don't like the idea of my best friend getting turned into a killer."

"That's….not exactly what I had planned for him." The teen crossed his arms, defensively.

"Oh? And what do you have planned for him? An early grave?" he glared at the vampire.

"No!" Zexion stood up from the chair. "Aeleus won't become a killer, he doesn't have to kill anyone!" He hissed.

"So I've heard. Quiet down." he leaned closer to the boy. "The only reason I'm allowing this is because… you make him so damn happy…"

"And what would you do if you wouldn't allow it?" The teen bit his lip. "What would you do?"

"Attempt to stop you… in any way possible." he muttered. "You better make sure you can make him happy. And keep him from being a killer." he said and turned to leave Aeleus' work area.

"I've been doing an okay job so far, don't plan on changing it." He growled and sat in the chair.

Xehanort glared at the boy over his shoulder then went back to work, as Aeleus came back from Isa's office.

"So?" Zexion twisted in the rolling chair. "Did he say yes?"

"Um… yeah." he glanced at Xehanort then picked the cooler up and held out his hand for Zexion.

"Cool. I was thinking about…going to a park or something?" Zexion took his hand. "Some place quiet…so we can talk without being bothered?"

"Of course, that sounds great." he looked to Xehanort again. "See you tomorrow Xehanort."

Xehanort only looked up then went back to his work with a hmph.

When they were out of earshot Zexion squeezed his hand. "Why the hell did you tell him, Aeleus?" He sounded more afraid than anything.

"Tell him? Tell who-oh…." he bit his lip, and looked away. "He's my best friend. He was getting suspicious anyway…"

"I don't know if he's being protective but…he's just…he doesn't like me…at all." Zexion shook his head.

"I'm sure that's not true." he said. "What did he say to you?"

"He thinks that…I'm going to kill you or turn you into some hideous beast that kills mindlessly or something." He frowned.

"He'll get over it." he said and led Zexion out of the station. "He can't stop me from being with you."

"Well if he feels that strongly about it…he said he was going to stop me…in any way possible." The vampire closed his eyes. "Aeleus, he's going to try and kill me, you shouldn't have said anything to him!"

Aeleus lifted the boy's head. "He's not going to kill you. No one's going to hurt you. Not while I'm around." he said and kissed the boy softly.

"There's more things that are worse than just vampires, it's the creeps that stalk us…"Zexion shook his head, this isn't what he had planned for the day.

"Creeps?" he asked but was interrupted by Zexion's phone going off.

"Mm…Axel.." He flipped open the phone and answered it. "Hey, did you get my text?"

"Yes. Are you alright?" Axel asked from the other line. "What happened?"

"Yeah, she's gone now…I was so freaked out." He murmured into the phone and turned slightly away from Aeleus.

"You need to find out why she was there. She could be after Aeleus. Be on guard Zexion."

"Why would she be after him, he's not…he's supposed to be the one she protects." He frowned.

"Yes but he's running around with a vampire. She might try to use him as bait." he said.

"But she doesn't know anything, she doesn't even know about me. We should be fine." He looked back to Aeleus.

"Just be on the lookout alright. I don't want you ending up dead." he said. "I'll talk to you later. Have fun on your birthday date."

"Ok, thanks…Oh! Uh…you might know her, she had long brown hair…dark brown eyes…sounds kinda generic when I say that out loud, but she is someone you wouldn't forget that easily." Zexion put a hand on his hip.

"She sounds familiar… Wait earrings. Was she wearing pearl teardrop earrings?"

"Mm…yeah…She'd definitely be someone in one of my brother's magazines he drools over…" Zexion smiled a bit.

"Shit! Did she see your bite mark?" he asked quickly.

"Uhm, no, she pulled my wristband off but I just disguised it as cuts." Zexion lost the smile and furrowed his brow. "She left me alone, so it must have worked…Who is she?"

"Her name is Tifa, and she one of the most powerful and dangerous vampire hunters out there. She used to hunt with Braig and Yuffie, but when Yuffie died she just disappeared. I thought she was dead. Thank the Goddess for that power of yours."

"Braig? The hunter after Luxord? Who's Yuffie?" Zexion bit his lip. Did hunters usually come out of the woodwork like this or was it just so natural that hunters were everywhere?

"I'll tell you later. You're probably keeping Aeleus waiting. Go have fun just keep your eyes open."

"Yeah, ok…well at least I've given you a heads up…I'll see you later." Zexion closed his phone and turned back to Aeleus. "Sorry about that."

"What's going on?" he asked and put his arm back around Zexion's waist. "Is everything ok?"

"I'm not sure, but everything seems to be ok…" He looked up. "Just stay away from that woman from before and we should be good."

"Why?" he asked as he led the boy to his car. "What's wrong with her?"

"She's a hunter-the creeps I was talking about…the ones that are more dangerous than vampires." He looked down. "But, I really don't feel like talking about this right now, I just want to hang out with you."

Aeleus smiled and unlocked his car as they walked into the parking lot. "I do have to tell you something though. About that woman."

"Uh...what about her?" Zexion walked to the other side of the car to get inside.

Aeleus bit his lip and got into the car. He shut the door then looked at Zexion. "I know it was you but some of your things went missing from your house and your mother called us. This agency sent her in to investigate it."

"A-Agency?" Zexion turned in his seat. "Do you know the name of it?" He cursed himself for thinking that his mother wouldn't have noticed the stuff he took.

Aeleus shook his head. "Sorry, no. But I know it has something to do with paranormal investigations."

'Shit! I didn't want to think about this-not today!' Zexion looked away and composed himself. "I...I should tell Axel about it later, then."

The human turned the boy's face back to his. "That's right. Later." he said and kissed the boy passionately.

"Mmm..." Zexion kissed him back and started to wrap his arms around his neck.

Aeleus moaned into the kiss and placed a hand on the back of Zexion's neck.

"Hm.." The teen placed his hands on his shoulders and squeezed them gently.

The older man broke the kiss, tilting Zexion's head back so he could kiss down his neck. "I love you...I love you... so much." he murmured between kisses.

"Ael...ah...we should head to the park..." Zexion whispered and closed his eyes.

"In a minute." he said closing his lips over Zexion's jugular.

The vampire gasped and dug his nails into his shoulders. "A-Aeleus...!"

Aeleus nipped at the sensitive skin and wove his fingers into the boy's hair.

"Mmh..." He bit his lip and shifted oddly. "Please..." Once again that odd feeling of wanting his lover to bite him came up, to finally have his blood sucked from his neck.

Aeleus bit down gently and pulled the boy closer. He tilted Zexion's head back a little further and moaned quietly.

"Ah...Aeleus..." Zexion groaned quietly. "I want it..." He said quietly.

Aeleus pulled back reluctantly and frowned. "I don't have my fangs yet..." he breathed and licked at the mark he made.

"Mmm..." Zexion looked up at him with half-lidded eyes. "I...I know." He said in defeat.

"I'm so sorry..." he whispered and pulled Zexion into a hug. "I don't mean to torment you."

"L-let's just go to the park..." The vampire closed his eyes and hugged him gently.

"Zexion... I want to... I want to bite you..." he breathed. "I don't know why but..." he pressed his lips to Zexion's neck again.

"I-imagine having the capability...to do so and not being allowed to..." The teen whispered.

Aeleus pulled back and looked down at Zexion. "I... I'm thinking of visiting my brother a little early this year..."

"R-really?" Zexion smiled and sat up. "You still want to...go to the park?"

"You made a lunch didn't you?" he asked and smiled down at the boy. "I wouldn't dream of wasting your food."

"Then...let's get to the park, then...I still haven't apologized for last night..." Zexion licked his lips.

"You have nothing to apologize for." he said and kissed the boy softly. "You weren't feeling well that's not your fault."

"No...I wasn't...I was being a brat. I shouldn't have acted like that after you fed me." Zexion folded his hands in his lap.

Aeleus sighed and kissed Zexion's forehead. "I already told you. I like feeding you. Don't worry about it." he said and started the car.

"Ah...how can you be so forgiving? I threw a total bitch-fit and you're perfectly fine with that?" The vampire frowned.

"Everyone has their moments." he said and caressed the boy's cheek. "I know you're frustrated. But everything's going to be different in a few days."

"O-ok..." Zexion closed his eyes. He hadn't bothered to ask Axel what was wrong with him the other night, he had figured it out himself. This whole one-sidedness of the relationship was simply driving him nuts.

"I love you." he whispered and pressed a kiss to Zexion's forehead again before backing out of the parking lot.

"I love you too, Aeleus." The teen smiled and fiddled with his cell phone debating on whether to tell Axel about Tifa or not.

Aeleus glance down at the teen's hands. "Tell him later. Right now is about you and me." he said as he pulled out of the parking lot and into the street.

"Ok. I really don't want to have anything to worry about today anyway..."The teen shrugged and shoved the hone into his pocket.

"Why? What makes today so special?" he asked and stopped at a red light.

"Oh! Well, uhm.." He blushed. "It's...It's just m-my...birthday." Zexion mumbled.

Aeleus' head turned quickly to look at him. "Your birthday!? Why didn't you tell me?! I didn't get you anything!"

"It's no big deal, you are fine with just yourself, I don't-" He bit his lip, the ending of his sentence cut off. Saying 'I don't want anything' would've been wrong.

Aeleus frowned and continued down the road when the light changed. "You don't want any material things. I know what you want, Zexion."

"I just want you, Aeleus...That's all." Zexion took a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh.

They were quiet for a while and Aeleus pulled into the parking lot of a local park. "I'll put a bow around my neck and give myself to you Zexion but, do you mind if your gift is a couple days late?"

Zexion laughed quietly. "You don't have to put a bow on. And of course it'll be fine, I expected to wait longer than just a couple of days..."

"I don't want us to wait any longer." he said and pulled Zexion in for a kiss.

"Mm, Aeleus..." The teen pulled away. "Stop saying things like that, you're really beginning to confuse me..." He whispered against his lips.

"I'm sorry. Let me be clear. In three days. That's when you can have me. That's when I'll ask." he said and turned off the car.

"T-three days?" The boy's eyes widened. The timeline was set to be a month...then a few days, and suddenly just over 72 hours. "Y-you're sure?"

Aeleus nodded with a smile and grabbed the cooler out of the back, then got out of the car.

Zexion got out of the car and ran around it to hug Aeleus tightly. "You have no idea how happy you've just made me." He whispered.

"Oh I think I have a pretty good idea." he said and lifted Zexion up to give him a kiss.

Zexion kissed him back and wrapped his legs around his waist. "I didn't grab a blanket, to sit on..."

"You can sit on me then, if you don't want to get your clothes all dirty." he said with a smirk.

The vampire rolled his eyes. "So...you've given yourself three days...You have to have some questions for me..."

Aeleus carried both Zexion and the lunch over to a big tree and sat down. "Well...how badly does it hurt? When I found you, you looked like you were in so much pain."

"Well...I felt pain at being rejected...but you won't be feeling any of that..." Zexion stood up and sat beside him.

"Why's that?" he asked and set Zexion in his lap.

"Because, I'm not playing you like Marluxia did to me, I will be with you every step of the way..." He ran a hand through his hair.

Aeleus smiled and pulled Zexion down into a kiss. "You'll still be mine after I change right? I don't feel like giving you up."

"Of course...I'd never leave you." Zexion kissed him back. "But as for actual pain...I did die...I will kill you with my poison, but then you'll wake up, feeling better than ever."

"Better than ever huh?" he smiled and opened the cooler. "I want your face to be the first thing I see."

"It will be. I'll be very sad if it isn't." Zexion rested his head against his chest and heard his lover's heart.

"So let's see. What did you make for us?" he asked and looked into the cooler.

"Nothing much...Just a simple turkey club sandwich..." He continued to listen to the heartbeat.

"Sounds good." he said pulling the sandwich out. "Is my chest that interesting?"

"I like...listening to your heart...your lungs, those noises sooth me..." He pulled back. "Can you hear mine?"

Aeleus pulled Zexion close so that his head was against his chest. He pulled back after a moment. "Can't say that I do."

"I will miss hearing yours..." He whispered. "Do you have any other questions?" He reached into the cooler for his own sandwich.

"Hmm... no. I don't think so not now anyways." he said taking a bite out of his sandwich.

"Well then I will just tell you things...Like how long you will be dead to this world. And then when you wake up, or would you rather be ignorant of that and discover it yourself?" The teen nibbled on his sandwich.

"Nah, tell me about when I'll wake up." he said and wrapped and arm around Zexion's waist.

Zexion smiled, knowing there wouldn't be much talking involved after he woke up. He could hardly recall what happened clearly when he himself woken up.

"What was it like when you woke up? I mean you broke out of the morgue and all."

"Axel told me I was verrrry lucky to have run into him. You'll be incredibly hungry, when you do wake up." Zexion shrugged.

"Oh... well who am I supposed to feed from? You said something about a... mate before?

The teen chuckled. "Don't worry about that, you'll be fed..." He took a bite out of his sandwich.

"I don't want to feed from humans." he said softly. "Did you pack us anything else?"

"Just water, didn't know if you were going to be able to get off...and I know you don't want to feed from humans, I won't make you a killer."

Aeleus smiled as he finished his food and pulled Zexion's closer.

The vampire quickly wrapped up his own and tossed it in the cooler before hugging him again.

"I'm glad that I can make you happy." he said holding him close.

"Heh...I'm glad I can make _you_ happy..." Zexion closed his eyes and breathed in his scent. "I wonder what your power will be..."

"Like how you have power over illusions?" he said and kissed the top of his head.

"Mm… yeah. Good for hiding behind, not much else, heh." He nuzzled his chest.

"Hmm..." Aeleus ran his hand up and down Zexion's back. "I love you."

The vampire looked up. "I love you, too." He kissed him lightly and rested his head back in the crook of his neck. "You'll have to come up with an excuse for the time you'll be gone..." He ran a finger around the buttons at the top of his shirt.

"I have plenty of vacation days left. The question is... can you get Axel to let you go for a day or two?" he asked.

"Oh most definitely, he'll want me to stick with you." Zexion smiled.

"Alright... I can't wait." he said softly and ran a hand through Zexion's hair.

Zexion sat quietly and took a deep breath. "It feels nice to just...sit..."

"It does... Especially with you." he said and smiled down at the boy resting on his chest.

"You make me feel...protected, and I feel like I can let my mind go blank when I'm by you. It really is relaxing..." He whispered.

Aeleus smiled and relaxed against the tree he was leaning on. "I love you Zexion."

"Mmm..." The vampire shifted closer to the man and closed his eyes. "Love you..."

"Hey now if you're going to go to sleep we should head home." he said softly.

"Home? Ah, sorry...I guess I really haven't slept...all that much..." Zexion smiled sheepishly.

"I mean uh... to my place." he said. "If you want to."

"Yeah, that's fine..." Zexion snuggled closer to his lover. "I was thinking of your place when I said home, anyway..."

"Oh. I'm glad you think of that as home." he said softly and sat up. "Would you like to leave?"

"If...you wouldn't mind..." He made to slowly get up from Aeleus.

Aeleus stood up and grabbed the cooler and Zexion's hand. "Let's get you home sleepy head.

"Heh, I feel lame..." Zexion shook his head. "Going to sleep on my birthday in the middle of the day..."

"Well maybe I can manage to wake you up." he said with a smirk and pulled Zexion close for a kiss.

"Hmm..." He kissed him back and pulled away. "Maybe..." The vampire said quietly.

"Hmm..." Aeleus smirked and unlocked his car and put the cooler in the back.

"How about you...wake me up later?" He asked quietly. "I shouldn't be asleep for too long, just...need some rest.."

"Alright. I'll let you get some sleep while I do some work." he said and opened Zexion's door. "How's that sound?"

"Are you really that much of a workaholic?" The teen slipped into the seat.

"I did leave early didn't I?" he said and closed the door to get in on the drivers side. "Or would you rather I hold you while you sleep?"

"No, I'll let you get back to your work..." Zexion yawned. I don't want to make you not do anything but wait on me..."

"I can work in the bed if you want me to. Then I'll still be close to you." he said as he started the car and pulled away from the park.

"Whatever you want to do, I'll be sleeping." Zexion laughed.

The human laughed and leaned over to give Zexion a kiss on the cheek at a stop sign.

"Did you like the sandwich...?" He turned slightly as he looked at Aeleus.

"It was delicious, but you taste better." he said with a smile.

The teen blushed slightly. "Th-thank you..." He looked away and bit the strange smile that was growing on his face,

"You look so cute when you smile." he said as he pulled into his condo complex

"Stop, you're making me blush..." He whined playfully, leaning back into the seat.

Aeleus parked the car and leaned over Zexion. "I love it when you blush... you look so cute, so... sexy."

Zexion fought back another yawn. "Oh, so sexy..." He joked and put his hand on the door handle.

"Incredibly." he said as he turned Zexion's head back towards his own and pressed a passionate kiss to Zexion's lips.

"Mm.." The teen closed his eyes and kissed him back. He pulled away and licked his lips. "You want me to be close to sleep or rested?"

"Rested." he said after a few seconds of contemplation. "Want me to carry you upstairs?"

"I think I can make it to your bed by myself...you worry about getting your work." Zexion got out of the car and started for the front door.

Aeleus got out of the car and grabbed the cooler from the back before locking the car and following Zexion.

The vampire smiled, happy that he would be able to use his new nightwear for once.

Aeleus looked down at the smiling boy before he opened the door. "What are you so happy about?"

"I can't be happy on my birthday?" Zexion went inside. "I'm just thinking about what you have planned for me when I wake up."

Aeleus walked in behind the boy, grabbing his ass. "Go take your nap little boy."

"Ah, go get your work, I'm gonna go up and change." He started up the stairs and glanced at him in the corner of his eye.

"Change?" he rose an eyebrow. "Change into what? Did you stock clothes here when I wasn't looking?"

"Possibly." Zexion laughed and disappeared upstairs.

Aeleus sighed and shook his head. "That boy will be the death of me..." He chuckled at his pun. "Huh... I made a funny." he said and headed to his desk.

The teen went up into Aeleus' bedroom and quickly grabbed the bag that held the small bit of lingerie and changed out of his clothes. He slipped on the lilac colored dress and took another yawn and then remembered he was going to text Axel, but he just waved it off, he could do it later. Zexion crawled into the bed and practically upon impact to the pillow he fell asleep.

Aeleus went into his personal office and grabbed his laptop and a few files. He carried everything upstairs and into his room. Aeleus smiled when he saw the sleeping Zexion and carefully sat down on his side of the bed.

Zexion shifted in the bed and twisted slightly so that he held onto his pillow tighter.

Aeleus smiled and ran his fingers through Zexion's hair. "I love you…" he whispered and leaned down to kiss his head.

"Mmm…" Zexion curled up and bit his lip slightly, his fangs protruding just barely.

Aeleus sighed and looked form his laptop to his lover and decided to ignore work for the time being. Zexion was too cute for him not to watch.

The teen moaned quietly in his sleep and buried his face into the pillow.

Aeleus laid down to put an arm around his lover. He moved closer to the teen and kissed his temple.

Zexion growled and curled his hands into fists as he shifted in the bed. Whatever he was dreaming of it wasn't good.

"Zexion?" he caressed the boy's cheek. "Calm down…"

The vampire's fangs poked past his lips, being fully extended. His eyebrows were scrunched together as if he were focused on something.

The human sighed and pulled the boy against his chest. "I hate it when you have nightmares…"

Zexion frowned in his sleep but he nuzzled closer to Aeleus, removing his arms from the pillow to snake around his lover's waist.

"There that's better." he said and nuzzled the top of Zexion's head.

Eventually the boy's face relaxed into a serene look and within moments he was sleeping soundly, albeit half-attached to the human.

"I'll never let anything happen to you Zexion. I promise." he said softly and ran his fingers through Zexion's hair.

The boy sighed as in agreement and pulled himself closer to Aeleus. His nightmare had left him at least for now.

~! #$%^&*()_++_)(*&^%$# !~! #$%^&*()_++_)(*&^%$# !~! #$

Zexion woke up and looked to what was on the laptop screen . He held tighter to the man and sighed. "What time is it?"

"Hmm…" Aeleus groaned as he woke up. "Um…" he looked to the clock. "6:19."

"Oh you fell asleep too?" the teen pulled away and stretched as he sat up, the shoulder-strap slipping off his shoulder.

"Yeah I guess soooooo….. What are you wearing?" he asked with a raised eyebrow as the sheets fell from Zexion's body.

"Uhm…" Zexion blushed and bit his finger, feeling that he had done wrong. "Just something… Axel… bought."

"Well I hope for his sake that he bought that for you to wear for me and not anybody else." he said and ran his finger over the material, down Zexion's chest.

"Then he's lucky…" the vampire stared at Aeleus. "He had you in mind when we went into the store."

"What store was that?' he asked and slid his other hand up Zexion's leg.

For a while the teen wouldn't answer. "Victoria's Secret." Zexion closed his eyes. "Axel insisted."

Aeleus laughed and stared at the boy. "You look rather sexy in that, Zexion." he whispered and leaned up to kiss his neck.

"Yeah?" he tilted his head and wrapped his arms around Aeleus' shoulders.

"Absolutely." he said and kissed over to the mark that he had made earlier. "I love it…"

"Hmm..." Zexion smiled and let his hands drift down his lover's sides. "I love you."

"I love you too..." he said and moved his hand up over Zexion's hip and licked at the red mark.

The teen glanced at the laptop and then back to Aeleus. "So...how much work did you get through?"

"Hmm...?" he looked up for a moment. "Not much, none really." he said and went back to kissing the teens neck.

"Oh..." The vampire shifted so that he was straddling Aeleus. "So, you just hugged onto me, for three hours?"

"No I hugged onto you for two hours, I watched you for one." he said and placed a hand on Zexion's ass.

Zexion leaned forward and gave him a short kiss. "It must have been entertaining to watch me sleep for one whole hour." He giggled.

"You were having a nightmare, but as soon as you were in my arms..." Aeleus smiled and pulled Zexion closer. "You calmed down instantly."

Zexion frowned when he recalled the nightmare and then the blankness afterwards. "...Oh..."

"Well it was a good thing wasn't it? I didn't want you having bad dreams..." he said softly.

"No, it's fine...thanks." The teen pulled back. "I just didn't want to...look like that in front of you." Zexion rubbed his neck.

"Why's that? Zexion I don't care about your nightmares. You can't control them." he said and pulled Zexion down so that he was laying on his chest.

"They're...just a bit intense." Zexion shrugged and closed his eyes. "But you're right, I can't control them..." 'Not yet.'

"I'll keep you safe Zexion... Forever." he said and ran a hand up and down his back.

"Hm." The teen kissed Aeleus, and placed his hands on his shoulders.

Aeleus smiled into the kiss and wrapped an arm around Zexion's waist.

"Mmh." The teen parted his lips and wrapped his arms around his neck.

Aeleus ran his hand down to Zexion's ass and push his hand into the panties. The vampire gasped slightly and grinded his hips into the other males. Aeleus moaned into the kiss and squeezed Zexion's ass and reached over to the side table with his free hand.

"Mm.." Zexion pulled away and started kissing down his neck.

"That feels so good." he groaned and pulled some lubrication out of the drawer.

The teen licked at his favorite spot of Aeleus' neck and blew on it.

"God... I love you..." he grunted and opened the lube to spread some on his fingers. He pushed down the panties and pushed a finger into the vampire.

"Nnh!" He bit his lip to keep from biting the human and his fingers dug into his sides.

"You ok?" he asked and gently moved the finger in circles.

Zexion moaned and nodded slightly. "Y-yeah...I'm fine." He whispered and looked up. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize for being loud..." he whispered and pushed in another finger.

Zexion moved his hands between them and he fumbled with getting his belt off.

Aeleus chuckled and helped the boy with the accessory. "You want to be on top tonight?" asked as he pushed in a third finger.

He nodded with a moan and held onto his lover. "Yeah..." Zexion breathed and licked his lips.

Aeleus smiled and pulled the panties off the boy. "Alright, we can do that." he said.

The vampire returned to kissing Aeleus' lips passionately, pressing his tongue for entry. Aeleus opened his mouth and nipped at Zexion's intruding tongue. The teen popped open the button to his pants and pushed his hand inside, with a smile. Aeleus groaned and bucked his hips up into Zexion's hand.

"Mm...Aeleus..." The boy moaned quietly and began to stroke his lover.

"Hnn..." Aeleus grunted and pulled Zexion closer. "If you keep that up..."

"Hmm?" Zexion grinned wickedly before kissing Aeleus' neck. "What?" He breathed.

"You're going to make me come..." he breathed and his hips bucked again.

"What if I want you to?" Zexion chuckled and pulled his hand from Aeleus' pant's only to brush ever so gently against the fabric.

"Then I suggest you get my pants off..." he whispered and pulled his fingers from the boy.

"Mmn. Fine." The vampire shifted so that he was sitting between the man's legs and tugged them down slowly, almost tortuously.

Aeleus glared at the boy. "You wanna stay on top tonight?" he threatened.

Zexion bit his lip as he finally tossed the pants away from the bed. "Hey, It's my birthday..." He pouted.

"Don't worry... you'll get your gift." he said with a smirk.

"Well?" The teen crossed his arms. "Are you going to take control, or what?"

Aeleus smirked and pulled of the lingerie, and pulled Zexion down to lick a pink nipple.

"Ah..." Zexion blushed and held onto Aeleus's shoulders.

"How's that for taking control?" he asked and bit down on the nub.

"Nn!" The teen arched his back and closed his eyes. "M-more.."

Aeleus pulled back slightly. "It I bite any harder you'll bleed." he breathed. "Or is that what you want?"

"No..." Zexion took his lover's face in his hands. "I want you...I want more of you..." He whispered.

Aeleus smiled and cupped Zexion's cheek. "You can have all you want of me." he said.

"Then," Zexion leaned forward. "...what are you waiting for?" He whispered into his ear before gently nipping at the lobe.

Aeleus moaned softly and grabbed Zexion's hips as he started to push into him slowly. The teen moaned and wrapped his arms around Aeleus, kissing his neck. He pushed Zexion down all the way and tilted his head to the side with a moan. The teen gently brushed his fangs against the mark he had made as a possessive gesture.

Aeleus smiled and wove his fingers into Zexion's hair to pull him closer.

"I changed my mind..." He whispered, the position he was currently in was way too easy to simply sink his teeth into the man's flesh. "I don't wanna top anymore..."

Aeleus pushed the boy away slightly and looked up at him. "Why's that? Like it on the bottom too much?"

"Just not tonight." Zexion answered quietly and closed his eyes.

Aeleus smiled and flipped them over carefully. "Is that better he asked as he leaned over the boy.

The teen replaced his hands to the older man's shoulders and nodded. "Yeah, much better."

Aeleus smiled and leaned down to capture Zexion's lips in a passionate kiss. The slate-haired teen moaned quietly into the kiss and pulled him closer to deepen the kiss. The human pushed his tongue into Zexion's mouth as he started to move his hips. Zexion gasped into the kiss and pressed his tongue against the intruding one playfully. Aeleus ran his nail down Zexion's sides and gripped his thin hips.

"Mmmah..." The boy pulled out of the kiss and began to move his hips with Aeleus' movements. "I love you..."

"I love you too Zexion... more than you know." he breathed and sat up to be at a better angle.

'Well that's one way to remove temptation..' Zexion whined slightly at feeling so far from his love, but he simply let his hands drift up the man's chest.

"You feel amazing Zexion..." he breathed and shifted the boy's legs so they were around his waist.

"Faster..." The vampire whispered and stretched his finger tips to rub against Aeleus' nipples.

Aeleus gasped slightly and leaned closer to the boy. "Faster huh?" he smirked and moved his hips a little faster. "How's that?"

Zexion pinched him and bit his lip. "Mmm, Aeleus..." He whispered.

Aeleus smirked and leaned down to lick at one of Zexion's nipples. "I love it when you say my name..."

The teen gasped and bit his lip. "Ah, Ae-Aeleus!" He moaned and slipped his hands to hold tightly onto his shoulders.

The human smirked and bit down gently on the teen's nipple, as he moved his hips faster. Zexion groaned and bit harder on his lip this time causing himself to bleed. His face went flush with excitement.

Aeleus looked up and frowned. "Look at what you did... You hurt yourself." he said and licked at the blood.

"Mm..." The vampire kissed him and nibbled gently on his lower lip.

"Mmm..." Aeleus moaned softly and pressed their lips together roughly.

_'I wonder what I taste like...?' _He whispered quietly in his mind. He licked at Aeleus' lips for more.

Aeleus moaned into the kiss. "You taste amazing..." he whispered then pushed his tongue into Zexion's mouth.

"Nn..." The teen opened his eyes slightly in shock. Had he heard him? Zexion nipped at the intruding tongue.

Aeleus pulled out of the kiss and smiled down at the boy. "I love you so much."

"I ...love you too..." The vampire licked his lip and let his hands fall to his sides.

The man grabbed Zexion's hand and wove their fingers together. He lowered his other hand to Zexion's crotch and took his erection into his hand.

The vampire pushed his face into the pillow and squeezed the hand that was holding his. "Aeleus..." He moaned quietly.

"How's that feel Zexion?" he asked and pushed deeper into the teen.

"Mmmn..." The boy moaned quietly and pulled the human's hand closer to his face to kiss it lightly..

Aeleus smiled and squeezed Zexion's length before leaning down to kiss his neck.

"Aeleus." He whispered quietly and closed his eyes, breathing in his scent. "Harder!"

The human shifted his hips and started to pound into the boy as he moved his hand faster.

"Ah! Mmh.." He brushed his fangs against the back of Aeleus' hand and reached up to touch his lover's face.

Aeleus smiled and closed his eyes as he leaned into Zexion's hand. "So perfect.."

"C-coming..' He whispered and pulled Aeleus down for a passionate kiss.

"Me too..." he breathed and stroked the boy faster as he released inside of him.

Zexion moaned into the kiss, releasing and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close.

Aeleus smirked as he pulled out of Zexion and laid down next to him. "Happy birthday Zexion."

"Mmm, I love you, Aeleus..." He whispered quietly and closed his eyes, slowing his breathing to a calmer pace.

He smiled and pulled the the boy to his chest. "I love you too Zexion."

"Hmmm..." He sucked in air. "That was a nice present..." He whispered and nuzzled the pillow.

"I'll buy you a real present tomorrow. What do you want?" he asked softly.

"I don't care...it's from you...Whatever you want to get me is fine..." Zexion whispered.

"Oh, but what do 16 year old boy's want?" he asked and ran a hand up and down Zexion's back.

"I'm not your typical teenager, Ael...seriously...whatever you want to get me...I'll be happy with it..."

"You have to at least give me a hint…" he whined. "You must want something…"

"Frankenstein..." Zexion muttered into the pillow and closed his eyes.

"Frankenstein?" he asked and raised an eyebrow. "Like... the book?"

"Yeah...it's...my favorite book...I packed it when I ran away from home..." The teen sighed.

"Oh! Right I remember finding that in your backpack when we went through it. You want it back?" he asked and pulled the sheet up over them.

"Mmm..." He cracked an eye open. "That...wouldn't be a problem for you?"

Aeleus bit his lip. "I highly doubt your case will ever be re-opened... I could try to get it back for you..."

"Then...that's what I want..." Zexion closed his eyes and sighed. "As long as you don't get in trouble...like I said. I don't care what you get me.

"I'll get you your book." he said and kissed the top of his head. "I promise..."

"Thanks...for hanging out with me today." The vampire murmured and pulled the bed sheet closer.

"Hmm..." Aeleus smiled and closed his eyes as his stomach growled loudly. "Oh..." he blushed and sat up.

"Mm...you're hungry...?" Zexion twisted slightly to sit up. "You...want me to make something for you?"

Aeleus laughed. "I think I'm the one who's supposed to offer to cook." he said softly and looked down at the boy.

"No, I can make you something, it's no problem..." Zexion made to get out of the bed, searching for his gown.

Aeleus grabbed his wrist and sat up. "I'll help you. I don't want to be away from you right now. Not on your birthday."

"Ok." Zexion smiled and scooped the gown from the floor and slipped it over his head. "Then what shall we make for you?"

"Hmm..." he pulled on his shirt and picked up his pants. "Something quick and easy. Would you um... like some pants or... something...?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I can change back into my clothes I had on earlier, if that's what you want?" Zexion walked over to the bathroom.

"Well I like you in that but don't you want something on beneath that? Besides I'm afraid I'll like it too much..." he said with a grin.

"That would be a problem, then?" The vampire glanced back and smirked.

"You want to spend all of your birthday having sex?" he whispered and wrapped his arms around the boy's waist. "And here I was going to ask you if you wanted to watch a movie."

The teen giggled. "What did you have in mind?" He crossed his arms and leaned back into Aeleus' embrace.

"Well I have movies on demand if you wanted to do that..." he said and lifted the boy up into his arms.

"Hm...You pick out the movie." Zexion hugged onto his lover and kissed his neck.

"Mmm... Alright." he smiled and tilted his head to the side. "I can't wait to feel your fangs..."

_'I can't wait to feel yours...' _Zexion thought and smirked. "Don't be too excited, about dying."

"How can I not be excited? Trading a mortal live for an immortal life with you? I think that's a fair trade don't you?" he smiled and looked down at Zexion.

"It's a painful transition..." Zexion whispered, fiddling with the button on Aeleus' shirt. "But I agree...it is a fair trade.

"I love you Zexion. Forever." he said and kissed his forehead as he headed out of the room.

"I love you...for infinity." Zexion grinned and twisted in his grip so that he was facing him directly, wrapping his legs around his waist.

"I don't care how much pain there is as long as it means that I can be with you." he said wrapping an arm around his skinny waist.

"Heh...I'm glad you feel that way, then." Zexion leaned forward to give him a soft kiss and leaned against his chest, to listen to his heartbeat.

Aeleus smiled and held Zexion gingerly. "You're going to miss my heartbeat."

"Mm.." Zexion pulled back quickly, embarrassed at feeling so obvious. "I'm...trying to memorize it." He whispered quietly.

"Are you going to miss it that badly?" he asked softly.

"I know I will." The vampire sighed and closed his eyes, returning his head to rest on Aeleus' chest. "It's weird, y'know? I was expecting to wait for a while longer...and since I have waited this long...I've...grown attached to you as a human."

"You... Do you want me to... stay human?" he asked quietly as he made his way down the stairs.

The vampire shook his head. Though he felt torn between the decision, his heart ached truly to deny even his mate to join him in eternity...killing off the human part of his lover made him angry at himself, but for what he was unsure. "I...just thought I had more time...more time to just...get accustomed to being okay, with losing certain things, as a cost to another-something greater."

"We can wait... It doesn't have to be so soon if you don't want it to be." he said softly and carried Zexion into the living room to sit down on the couch.

"No!...The sooner the better." Zexion looked back up. "I don't want to wait...I was just...ready to wait, since you had requested it." He shook his head and rolled his eyes. "I'm being foolish, childish...selfish." With a shrug he pulled away. "All of which most likely just leaves you...confused-perhaps even...annoyed at my behavior."

Aeleus tilted the boy's head up and pressed their lips together in a deep kiss to keep the boy from talking.

Zexion gasped quietly, surprised at the sudden move and his hands crawled up his shoulders. He suddenly felt that no matter what he said, he wouldn't be able to truly get his feelings out in the open, without rambling on and essentially losing the point of the conversation.

Aeleus pulled back and smirked. "Well that shut you up. You could never annoy me Zexion. I only want to make you happy."

The teen opened his mouth to say something but stopped, leaving his mouth slightly open, blinking away the thoughts that bombarded his mind. Instead he sucked on his lower lip and hugged onto the human, wrapping his arms around the man. "I don't want to lose you." He whispered into his chest and closed his eyes tightly.

"What makes you think you're going to lose me...?" he asked softly and wrapped his arms around the boy to hold him close.

"I don't want you to die." Zexion meant in the sense of the human's soul, seemingly the only thing a vampire clung to that was all but what kept them from becoming an absolute monster.

"Zexion... I will be fine." he whispered and kissed the top of his head. "Don't worry about me."

It was no use. Zexion would have to try and speak with Axel about these odd emotions he now harbored within his own soul and he groped for reason behind the confusion of his inner turmoil.

"I love you Zexion. I won't leave you like that." he said and closed his eyes as he held Zexion close.

By his lover's words he had obviously not made his thoughts clear. "I know..." Zexion had it set in his mind. He was going to pry Axel from Roxas if he had to so that he could have a long talk about what was going on with him. He felt like it'd be just like the whole birds and the bees conversation his father had held with him mere years ago. Awkward, yet desperately needed for understanding.

Aeleus smiled and kissed the boy again. "Do you want anything to eat?" he asked as he turned on the tv.

"No...I'm not...hungry..." Zexion slowly peeled himself from the human. "You're the hungry one...I can't keep you from eating." He smiled, the way he said it seemed to epitomize his own situation. "What can I help make for you?"

"I'm thinking just cereal or something easy." he said. "Do you need any blood?"

"Cereal for dinner?" Zexion waved off the comment of blood. "Honestly, you must want something more filling than that."

"I don't mind. It gives me less time in the kitchen and more time with you." he said with a smile and stood up.

With a reluctant sigh, Zexion returned to the couch, figuring no help was needed to simply pour milk and cereal into a bowl. He'd probably take five minutes in trying to find the bowl and spoon anyway.

"I'll be right back." he said kissing Zexion's head before going into the kitchen to prepare his meal. "You can go ahead and pick out a movie if you want."

The vampire cuddled into the couch, fiddling with the remote and going through each of the movies with little interest. He didn't really care about the choosing something as simple as a movie. His thoughts were stuck in the endless motion of trying to figure things out, something he hadn't truly done since he was transformed.

"Zexion. I have a question." he called out then walked into the living room with a bowl in his hands.

The teen was staring blankly at the screen, the remote hanging loosely from his hand and it took a moment to realize he was being talked to. "Huh?"

"I have a question." he said and sat down next to the boy.

"Uh, yeah. What's up?" He shook his head to clear his mind of the jumble of thoughts.

"You're only 16. Clearly you haven't finished high school... do you plan on... continuing your education?" he asked.

Zexion's eyebrows scrunched into confusion, he never expected that to be a question for Aeleus to ask. School seemed to be something that just left the boy's mind entirely and now it had come rushing back to him in a wave of annoyance. "I...probably will. Why?"

"I just want to make sure that you get a good education. You're so smart, I don't want that to go to waste." he said kissing Zexion's temple. "That and it's very important for a boy your age to continue his education."

"So smart, huh?" Zexion couldn't help but chuckle. "What makes you think I'm so smart?" Those words were those spoken by concerned teachers on rare occasions.

"The way you talk. Your eyes. You're wise beyond your years Zexion." Aeleus smiled and took a bit of his cereal.

"That's just because I read a lot of books..." He answered simply and blushed. "Besides...even if I wanted to continue my education...I can't just walk back to my school or any other school for that matter without proper records."

"Well what if we made you some new records?" he asked as he continued eating. "If you want to go back that is."

"I'm sure Axel will be able to help me with that." Zexion readjusted so that he was leaning against the human. "School...will have to simply be put on hold, or I could just submit myself to going through...home schooling."

"Who would teach you?" he asked softly and looked at the boy. "I mean I have some old college books but..."

"Axel? He's over two-thousand years old. I'm sure he could do it." Zexion shrugged. "I can always teach myself..."

"I suppose. Didn't you want to go to college when you were a human?" he asked.

"I just wanted to survive high school." The teen let out a huff of a laugh. "And there are internet colleges I can attend, going to college will be much simpler than finishing my high school education, heck if I try hard enough I might be able to just skip high school altogether and go straight to college...but what would I do once I was in college? I have eternity to do whatever I please, why waste it on getting a job that would bring attention to myself and then my coworkers would slowly wonder why I never aged and then I'd have to move from place to place and never really have a place to truly call home ever again, I mean..." Zexion went straight into a ramble, gesticulating with the remote in his hand. "I don't want that for myself, I just want to relax, I just want to live my life like I was a normal teenager, getting my license, driving a car, going out and hanging with my nonexistent friends. But of course I can't do that because I'm a big scary _vampire_ that everything in the world wants to kill."

Aeleus set his bowl down then grabbed the boy's wrist and cupped his cheek with his other hand. "Hey. Relax." he smiled softly. "You don't have to go to college if you don't want to. It was just a question. You get so worked up over everything. It's cute. So you're a little different, you're still you. You have friends and you have me. And the whole world does not want to kill you."

Zexion sighed. "Sorry...I guess...I just wanted to blow off steam. I've got a lot of emotions I have bottled up inside me right now..."

Aeleus grabbed the remote from Zexion's hand and turned off the TV. "Then let's talk." he said ignoring his cereal and pulling Zexion into his lap.

"You're reminding me of things I've completely forgotten about." He closed his eyes. "I guess since I've become a vampire...nothing else really has mattered, one day I'm learning how to feed, the next I'm getting clothing for myself, the other day I'm getting a job... And THEN...I find you and then even my life as a vampire has been turned upside down...everything's, just moving...way too quickly for me. I mean...I NEED to find Marluxia." The vampire bit his lip. "I'm not even a month old vampire and I'm having to worry about going back to school..."

"All of it must have been so hard for you... Who's Marluxia?" he asked and eyed the boy carefully.

"My sire. The vampire that killed me. The man who stole my life from me. Take your pick of titles." Zexion muttered. "It doesn't matter, I'm just pissed at him and want to confront him and I can't find him, which makes me even more angry."

"Maybe I can help you find him?" he asked and rubbed Zexion's back.

"I already told you not to go looking for him. This is something that even Axel won't help me with. Finding Marluxia is my responsibility." Zexion closed his eyes and covered his face. "I don't even know what the hell I'd do once I found him."

"Then why look for him? Why is he so important? What makes him so special that my little Zexion wants to go chasing all over hell and gone to find him?"

"Because...it's a more difficult story to tell that I can't share the most personal details with...because they aren't mine." He looked up. "Axel hates Marluxia. He tells me I'd be better off not looking for him, but I just want answers to why he changed me in the first place..."

"What was your relationship with him?" he asked, his inner cop-self coming out.

"My relationship? Well...I guess...I would have called him my boyfriend...? We..." Zexion shook his head. "Why?

"Oh n-no reason just trying to figure things out." he said and rubbed the back of his neck. "Your boyfriend...?"

"Couples don't really discuss their exes...are you really sure you want me to tell you?" Zexion rose an eyebrow.

"Well... maybe I can help you find him." he whispered.

"Aeleus..." The vampire looked away. "Marluxia is my problem." He sighed. "I don't...want you to meet him. It's like looking for a biological parent that didn't want me but bothered to not have an abortion and just tossed me up for adoption."

"I still want to be there with you... If you find him." he said and tilted Zexion's head up. "I won't let you do that by yourself."

Zexion let out a breath through his nostrils in disapproval. "And then what? Once I got my answer-even if it's the lame excuse of 'because I felt like it'...What would you do?"

"That's simple. Be there for you, maybe give the guy a good punch in the face if you'd let me."

"That would be great, start a fight with an Ancient." He replied sarcastically, though he didn't fully understand what being an Ancient meant, if their powers were like the garden variety vampire they sired.

"An Ancient?" he asked and tilted his head to the side. "What's that?"

"Axel was vague about it...something about being the child of two vampires. It _sounds _powerful but it could be just a title." Zexion waved his hand dismissively.

"A child of two vampires? How does that work?" he asked.

"I would suppose the natural way humans have children." Zexion chuckled.

"Hmm... Does that happen often?" he asked and leaned back on the couch.

"I don't think so." Zexion rubbed his eyes. "Axel didn't tell me much, like I told you...he hates Marluxia."

"Well that doesn't give him the right to keep information from you." he said. "You deserve to know about your creator, don't you think?

"Like I said..." The teen stared deeply into his eyes. "There are details that I cannot share with you."

"You can't share with me... or you don't want to?" he asked with a frown."

With a hesitant sigh Zexion closed his eyes. "If you were to refer to vampires as family...Marluxia would be Axel's grandfather."

"Oh wow... That seems a little complicated. Vampires have odd family trees huh?" he said softly and ran a hand up and down Zexion's back.

"Now that you have me thinking about it that way...I guess I'd be Axel's uncle.' He laughed quietly. "But aside from that...Axel is rather...tight-lipped about Marluxia."

Aeleus laughed and ruffled the boy's hair. "I love your laugh..."

"Hmm..." Zexion pushed some hair from his face and let himself smile. "I don't think I've really laughed that much since I've become a vampire."

"I'll have to change that then. I want you to laugh every day, whenever I'm near you."

"I think I'm getting to that point. You do make me happy." Zexion cuddled closer to the human.

"I love you Zexion." he whispered and kissed the top of his head. "So wait when you were a human your name was Ienzo. Why did you change your name?"

"I didn't change it." He answered. "It was a name given to me, by a woman in my dreams, before I woke up as a vampire." Zexion shrugged slightly, pausing. "Ienzo...is dead."

"Oh will my name change?" he asked and laid down with Zexion laying on his chest.

The vampire nodded. "Though...I suppose you could still use your name. Aeleus will simply be sick for a few days, with no visitors."

"I don't know what I want to do anymore... " he said softly. "Completely give up my human live or try to hide among them... I don't know..."

"Suddenly disappearing from your life would most likely be a bad idea. You have friends remember?" Zexion looked up at his lover.

"Well my closest friend knows that I'm going to be turning into a vampire so..." he sighed. "Depends on how complicated it gets."

"I was forced into coming up with a new identity. On paper, I'm dead." The vampire pointed to himself, referring to Ienzo. "You won't, because no one will know. I think it'd be more complicated in tossing this life you have now."

"If that's what you think is for the best then I suppose we'll do that. But I think I would prefer for you to call me by my vampire name when I get it."

"Another thing I'm afraid I'll miss. I've grown quite fond of your name." Zexion traced the human's jaw line with a thin finger.

"If you like this name better than my new one then I suppose you can still call me by my human name." Aeleus smiled and nipped at the boy's fingers before taking it into his mouth.

"No, if you had the chance to like my former name, I'd rather you call me by Zexion." He whispered, twisting slightly.

Aeleus released the finger and smiled down at the teen. "I like Zexion... You know I should give you a cute nickname..."

"Mm?" Zexion sat up slightly so that he could watch his lover, rather than stare at him from an odd angle.

Aeleus stared at him and smiled. "A nickname for you..." he said quietly. "Hmmm... Zexion... Zex. Ion... nah. I got it!" he exclaimed with a grin. "Zexi!"

"Heh...that would work for both my personae." He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the side, a small black strap slipping from his shoulder with the movement. "Now if only I could give you a nickname in return..."

"Good luck finding anything cute with the name I have now." he said eyeing the fallen strap.

"If I did that I'd feel even worse about giving up your human name." Zexion licked his lips.

"You're getting that look in your eye, Zexi..." he whispered and lifted a hand to push the strap lower.

"What look?" He whispered and leaned down, only sparing a few inches from touching their foreheads together.

"The look that says that you want me inside of you." he whispered and ran his hand down Zexion's back to his ass.

The vampire pressed his lips against Aeleus', his eyes slipping closed as he made impact.


	17. The Unwanted Gift

Chapter 17

Braig glared at his bottle of beer with a hand planted firmly on his forehead in angry contemplation. He hated waiting. He waited and waited, and sure his tendency to simply ignore the fact that he had been waiting was fine, he would always find a way to distract himself, but so far the past few days were of watching the house that blond man lived in, waiting for some other hunter's prey to come. He was tired of waiting, he wanted answers for his own quest.

The door to the bar opened and Leon walked in with Cloud right behind him. The two men walked over to the table that Braig was at and sat down. "Any news?"

The hunter's single dark brown eye slid over to the two men in an almost sinister way. "I'm not helping you anymore until _I_ get some news of my own." He growled out. Cloud let out an annoyed sigh and sat back in his seat, crossing his arms, further solidifying his current feeling.

Leon glanced at his friend then looking back at Braig. The brunette dropped an envelope on the table. "Pictures and notes of Luxord and his possible whereabouts. We pretty much have him tracked down to a 30 mile radius within the city."

With a disgruntled sigh, Braig picked up the envelope and shook his head. "Possible whereabouts..." He muttered and looked through the notes, his eye staring at the picture of the vampire he had been hunting for years.

Cloud's impatience broke the man's current line of thought in a huff. "So?"

"Cloud be patient." he said softly and placed his hand over the blonds. "Let him look over his payment first." he closed his hand around Cloud's.

"Should I tell you about how he's got a pet and how well he seems to be taking care of it or the location of where he's most likely to be found?" Braig continued to stare at the photo of the platinum blond.

"A pet? Like a guard dog? I think we can handle that." Leon kept his hand on Cloud's. "Does this mean you found out where he's been living?"

"Oh, if you're talking about animals, he's got a bitchy black cat; nearly woke up the human that was moaning out Marluxia's name." Braig answered and finally looked up to stare at Leon. Cloud barely noticed his friend's touch as he curled his palm into a fist, a dark scowl adorning his face.

Leon looked at Cloud and frowned. "Hey. Relax. We'll get him, don't worry. We'll make him pay."

"He's keeping a *human* as a pet?" Cloud narrowed his eyes.

"Well, I don't know anyone else that goes by the name Marluxia, do you?" Braig pushed a stray hair out of his face.

Leon sighed and squeezed Cloud's hand. "Give us the address, we'll go see if we can save this human." he said.

"5762 Rosewood." Braig nodded and began to gather the contents of the envelope. "Amazing how, by myself, I find this elusive vampire's home and the two of you can only give me 30 miles..." He muttered. "It's better than nothing, I guess."

"Hey deal with it or I'll let Cloud take his frustrations out on you." Leon said and held tightly onto the hunters hand.

The older man growled. "You two are just starting this game. I've had near 15 years of experience with vampires. I think I can handle whatever the fuck you throw at me."

Cloud simply narrowed his eyes, glaring daggers at the older man.

"Take you're info and get out before Cloud pulls out a gun." Leon growled and stood up.

"I'm not interested in killing humans, just vampires." Braig turned, waving a hand dismissively to the both of them, tucking the envelope in his black jacket.

Cloud started forward, then noticed the half-finished bottle of beer. "Dammit!" The blond shouted after being forced to pay for the alcohol.

"Cloud calm down. Mind your blood pressure." Leon said calmly and put a hand on Cloud's shoulder.

The blond's face quivered in anger, nostrils flaring, but slowly relaxing until he shoved his hand into a pocket and paying for the beer with an unhappy slap of paper and coins, rolling off of the table in the swift movement.

Leon put an arm around his friend and led him out of the bar. "Getting angry with him isn't going to do you any good."

"He's so damn cocky..." Cloud stuffed his hands into his pockets and shook his head. "How the hell has he lived so long?"

"By being one of the best." he said softly and unlocked his car.

"You're right...I picked him..." Cloud opened his door. "I just never realized he'd be such a pain in the ass to deal with."

"You just have to have a little patience with him." he said softly and helped Cloud into the car.

"Hmph." The blond closed his eyes and massaged his temples, trying to simply calm down.

Leon frowned and leaned down and almost kissed the blond's head but stopped. "Let's get you home so you can rest."

Cloud nodded and leaned back into his seat, letting Leon close the door.

Leon kept his hand on the door and sighed. "I love you Cloud... I'll take care of you." he breathed.

The hunter rose a hand to his head in contemplation and tapped his finger against his knee, trying to figure out what Marluxia was doing with a human.

Leon went around to the other side and got in. "Would you like me to make so some tea when we get home?"

"Mm." The younger man simply grunted and nodded his head. "What's up with the human he's keeping?"

"Let's not talk about work anymore." he said and started the car.

"Then what, Leon?" Cloud stared straight ahead and sighed.

"Something other than work." he said softly and drove away from the bar.

"You may think it's just work but I can't stop thinking about him."

"Who? Marluxia?" he asked and glanced at his friend.

"He's responsible for everything I hate." Cloud growled and crossed his arms.

"I know but you still have me." he said and continued to stare out the windshield.

"Yeah and if I lose you then that'll be exciting." Cloud shook his head.

Leon glanced at the blond. "You'll never lose me. Do you really think I can be killed that easily?"

"All it takes is a moment for a vampire to take a snap at you." He turned slightly. "At least we aren't going after Luxord..."

"I don't plan on leaving you anytime soon, Cloud." he whispered.

"Neither do I, I dragged you into this in the first place." Cloud whispered back.

"I came into it with you willingly. To keep you safe." he said and glanced at Cloud. "I have to protect you."

"You have to protect everything. It's in your nature, Leon." The blond leaned back into his seat.

Leon frowned and pulled up to their house. "But especially you..."

"Yeah?" Cloud shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. "You were pretty crazy to come and save me from that...that demon..."

"I had to help you... back then you looked so helpless. I..." he shook his head. "Let's get you inside."

The younger hunter got out of the car and rubbed his neck. "Yeah... you're tea definitely sounds like a good idea right now."

"I'll make a pot right now." he said softly and put an arm around Cloud's waist and led him into the house and onto the couch. "What kind?"

"Mmm..." The blond relaxed in the couch. "White ginseng...with honey." He closed his eyes and rubbed his face.

Leon smiled and ran a hand through Cloud's hair then went into the kitchen. "Coming right up."

"I'm so...stressed, lately." He swung his legs up onto the couch and kicked off his shoes.

"Would you like a massage?" Leon asked as he walked back into the living room after starting the tea.

Cloud was silent for a while as he sat and thought. "If you don't care..." He looked through his fingers to his friend.

Leon smiled as he walked over to Cloud. "It's what I'm here for. To take care of you."

"Leon." Cloud sat up. "Seriously...you don't need to baby me..." He stretched.

Leon sat behind him and placed his hand on his shoulder. "I like to baby you." he whispered and ran his hands down Cloud's back.

"Hmm...I always feel like your...treating me like a child..." He took a deep breath.

"It's because I..." he stopped and ran his hands up Cloud's back slowly. "Never mind."

"Because? You've never had a little brother to protect?" The blond leaned forward.

"No. Because..." he moved closer to the blond and pulled Cloud against his chest. "Because I've never loved someone as much as I love you."

Cloud's eyes widened and he curled his hands into confused fists. "You...?"

Leon closed his eyes and let out a breath. "Yes...?" he breathed and rested his chin on Cloud's shoulder.

"You...love...I don't..." He felt his ears grow hot. "I don't understand, you...me?"

Leon sighed and opened his eyes he turned Cloud's face towards his and pressed their lips together softly. "I love you."

Cloud blinked and at first wasn't sure how to respond. He had always considered the brunet as a brother. "I..." His heart raced and he twisted in his friend's grip. "I...l-love..."

Leon frowned and stood up. "You don't have to return my feelings." he said softly and headed into the kitchen.

Cloud shifted upright in the couch and held his head in his hands. Leon loved him? He had no earthly idea why someone else could ever love him. His usual train of thought was thrown off the tracks of killing vampires to the complex subject of...love. "...Leon?" The blond called from the other room.

Leon stayed silent as he prepared a cup of tea for the blond. He should have kept his mouth shut, now their relationship was going to get complicated and awkward.

"How long, Leon?" The younger hunter bit his lip. How long had he been blind to the other's affection?

Leon carried the mug into the living room and handed it to Cloud. "Since you turned 18. Six years." he said and turned to leave.

"Leon." Cloud grabbed his friend's arm and set the cup of tea aside. "You...you don't just say that and walk away..." He whispered.

"What am I supposed to do?" he said not looking at the blond.

Six years of naturally assuming the closeness to be as brothers when the intention was clearly something else. "You give the other person time to absorb what was said." Cloud stood up and turned Leon to face him and frowned when the other hunter wouldn't meet his gaze.

"I didn't mean to drop that bombshell on you Cloud. I just... I shouldn't have said anything." he said and put a hand on Cloud's shoulder.

"No, you should have..." The blond slowly raised his hands to hold Leon's face. "I...do love you." Though the emotions he felt more naturally were hate and anger and other strong emotions, he knew somewhere behind all of that he had feelings for his companion, he just had issues interpreting them correctly.

Leon looked into Clouds eyes and smiled. "You don't seem so sure about that." he said softly placing his hand over Cloud's.

Cloud frowned and pulled Leon closer. "I love you...I just can't fathom why you'd love me." He whispered.

"Why wouldn't I love you? Cloud you're beautiful, you're perfect, you're everything anybody would ever want." he pulled Cloud closer by putting an arm around his waist.

"For years I've been a brat, brooding over everything and throwing tantrums when things wouldn't go my way." He paused. "I've obsessed over one thing, death."

"I know." he said softly. "That's why I didn't say anything, you wanted your revenge so badly. I didn't want to get in the way of that." he said.

"My revenge? I...Don't keep things like that from me!" Cloud closed his eyes.

Leon frowned and wrapped his arms around the blond. "I'm sorry I hid it for so long."

"If you died without telling me...and then if I was to learn it after the fact..." He hugged onto the slightly taller man and tears came to the edges of his eyes.

Leon stared down at the blond and pushed him back slightly to look at his face. "Hey..." he wiped away the tears. "I already told you I won't leave you that easily."

"You've taken care of me for so long...made sure I didn't do anything reckless. Without you...I'd probably be dead." Cloud licked his lips. "I owe you everything."

"How about a kiss for now?" he asked softly and lifted Cloud's head. "You can start with the "everything" later."

"Mm." Cloud closed his eyes and pressed his lips gently against the other man's.

Leon pulled Cloud closer and deepened the kiss. He licked at the blond's lips and stepped backwards towards the stairs, pulling Cloud with him. The younger hunter parted his lips for Leon's tongue and followed after the brunet. A hand groped for the banister. Leon pushed his tongue into Cloud's mouth but pulled back quickly. He stepped up the stairs backwards and smirked at the blond. Cloud made a displeased noise at losing the contact but advanced up the stairs nearly toppling them over the top step and kissed him more passionately.

Leon smiled and kissed Cloud back as he led him into his room. "Is my room alright?" he asked softly.

The blond simply nodded as if he had choice in the matter. They were practically already in the bed. "I love you..." He whispered.

"I love you too." he whispered and lowered Cloud onto the bed. "I don't think I've ever seen you so flustered."

Cloud's hands moved to his shoulders. "Flustered...?" He noticed that the heat in his face had centered on his cheeks, rather than resting on the top of his ears.

The older man smiled and leaned down to kiss down Cloud's neck. "You look cute when you blush."

The smaller male let out a small gasp at feeling Leon's mouth against his neck, reminding him slightly of the very thing he hated. Leon closed his lips around the sensitive skin and ran a hand up Cloud's leg. Cloud could feel his heart pounding in his chest and he clung to Leon tightly.

Leon pulled back happy with the small mark that he had made. He smiled down at Cloud and ran a hand over his chest. "Wow... you're heart is beating rather fast..."

"I...know..." He said between breaths. "Th-that's...perfectly normal, isn't it?"

Leon laughed softly and nodded. "Yes. That's normal." he said and lifted up the blonds shirt.

He allowed Leon to pull off his shirt and he started to reach for the other man's shirt.

He lifted his arms as Cloud pulled off his shirt and tossed their shirts behind him. "You're so gorgeous... I want to see more..." he whispered moving a hand to Cloud's pants.

The blond reached up and slowly moved his hands across Leon's chest, studying the slightly darker skin.

Leon smiled and unbuttoned Cloud's pants before leaning down to kiss his forehead. "You look so cute."

"You...you're amazing..." Cloud whispered and his hands searched lower, finding every smooth dip and ripple until they hit his pants.

"You've seen me shirtless before." he said quietly. "Why is it so different now?"

"I've never actually felt your skin like this." Cloud replied and his arms circled around his waist to find more shapes and contours.

"Well... do you like it?" he asked and ran a finger over one of Cloud's nipples slowly.

"Ahn...y-yeah..." Cloud bit his lip and returned his hands to the front of Leon's hips and his fingers followed the line that went straight to his pants.

Leon smiled and finished removing the blond's pants. He placed his hand on the waistband of Cloud's boxers and smiled. The younger hunter licked his lips and loosened the brunet's belt before slipping his hand tentatively into his pants.

The brunettes' hips bucked into Cloud's hand. "You seem pretty confident." he whispered with a gasp.

Cloud bit his lip, feeling the exact opposite of confident; in fact, he felt like he was shaking, but it must have just been the excitement.

Leon smiled and grabbed Cloud's wrist, pulling his hand from his pants. "It's much easier if the pants are off first."

"...Yeah." The blond worked on the only belt that wasn't keeping the other man's pants on and looked up to Leon.

He wove his fingers with Cloud's and squeezed his hand. "You're shaking..."

"I...uh...it's nothing, I'm fine." He whispered and closed his eyes.

Leon leaned down and touched their lips together. "Are you nervous?"

Cloud shook his head and took a deep breath. "I'm fine, I'm just...excited..." He blushed slightly and looked away, feeling embarrassed.

"Don't look away from me." he whispered and leaned down to kiss Cloud's neck. He licked at the skin then bit down gently.

The blond gasped and writhed underneath, whispering, "No..." He planted his hands firmly onto Leon's shoulders and pushed him away. That small little nip was all it took for Cloud to remember the worst detail he had forced himself to forget. He sucked in his lower lip and sat up in the bed.

Leon sat up and frowned. He sat next to the blond. "Cloud?" he asked softly and reached out a hand to touch his cheek.

"Don't..." He moved out of reach and rubbed the base of his palm into his eye. "Not now." He whispered and looked to find his pants.

Leon frowned and pulled his hand back. He stood up re-doing his pants. He grabbed his shirt off the floor and pulled it on. "I'm sorry..." he breathed and walked out of the room.

Cloud touched his neck and felt at the spot where Leon had bit, closing his eyes and only seeing the images of that cat-like demon, speaking the same words before...He shook his head, angry at himself and Leon just leaving.

Leon walked down the steps and went into the kitchen to grab his keys. He saw the pot of tea and his frown deepened. He set his keys back on the counter to walk into the living room to see Cloud's mug of untouched tea, that was no longer steaming. He sighed and grabbed the mug. He took it into the kitchen and dumped it out in the sink and started to make a new cup. He took the fresh tea up to his room and set it on the side table gently. "You never drank your tea." he said softly before heading back to the door.

Cloud had pulled his pants back on and looked up to Leon with a strange look, his cheeks wet with moisture but not fully crying. "It's not your fault..." He mumbled.

Leon looked over his shoulder and sighed. He walked over to the bed and sat down. "Then who's is it? I made you cry." he lifted a hand to wipe away the tears then took his hand back remembering Cloud's earlier reaction to his touch.

The younger hunter's eyes filled with anger and he curled his hands to fists.

"Look you're angry with me, so I'm just going to give you some space." he said standing up. "I'm sorry I bit you."

"I'm not...angry with _you_, Leon..." Cloud stood up and grabbed the retreating male's shoulder.

"Then who? I don't understand what's going on Cloud. Is this about your past that you won't tell me anything about?" Leon asked staring down at the blond.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud shouted as he pulled away from the brunet. "There! I said his damn name!" His nostrils flared and tears ran down his face,

Leon stared at the blond then lifted a hand and wipe away the tears. "Don't cry Cloud." he whispered before taking the blond into his arms. "Why is this about Sephiroth?"

"He destroyed everything..." He whispered and closed his eyes. "He stole everything I ever cared about..."

"I'm sorry I couldn't save your family Cloud." Leon breathed and held him close.

"Leon...he...he used me and...tossed me away and killed everyone... and then he came back..."

He pulled Cloud over to the bed and sat down. "Now what do you mean he used you?"

"He raped me." He said breathlessly. "I told him no and he did it anyway..." Cloud relaxed his hands.

Leon froze and pulled back to stare down at the younger man. He was not expecting that. "He... He r-" he couldn't even say it. "I'm sorry... I didn't know. I shouldn't have... not this soon..."

"Not this soon?" The blond echoed. "It's been almost seven years, Leon. I tossed that memory away. I didn't expect it to come out like this."

"I'll... I'll have to be sure to never bring up any old memories then..." he said softly. "I didn't mean to make you cry." he wiped the blond's eyes again.

"He did it to prove a point...he wanted me to suffer before he killed me...and then you came out of nowhere..." Cloud looked up and touched his scar gently.

"I had no idea that he did something so cruel to you." he said and placed his hand over Cloud's with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry I reacted the way I did...it was just...too much the same..." Cloud let his hand fall from Leon's face and sighed.

Leon smiled and reached over to grab the mug of tea. "It's fine. Drink this and let's go to bed."

"Thank you..." Cloud ran a hand through his hair and took the tea from his friend. "I'm sorry..." He took a small drink and closed his eyes.

Leon wove his fingers into Cloud's hair and smiled. "Don't worry about it." he said kissing the blond's temple. "I love you."

"You're too kind..." The younger hunter leaned into the man and closed his eyes. "I love you."

"It's my job to take care of you." Leon said and rubbed Cloud's back.

Cloud took another drink. "I'm weak..." He mumbled and sat the cup down on the side table.

"You're not weak Cloud." he said softly and laid the younger man down.

"Can't you just let me call myself names?" The blond complained. "I should really sleep...and try not think about him..."

"I won't let you put yourself down, especially when it's not true." he said and caressed Cloud's face. "You can sleep with me tonight. That way you won't have nightmares." he chuckled.

"I'll try to tell my subconscious to not go that direction..." Cloud rubbed the back of his neck.

Leon smiled and stood up. "I'll be right back, I'm going to go turn the lights out."

With a long breath and slow exhalation, the blond slipped into Leon's bed sheets, though he felt awkward about doing so.

Leon returned to the room a few minutes later and started to pull off his clothes.

Cloud had situated himself so that he was looking away from the door. "What were you going to do, if you just left?" He whispered.

"I was just going to go for a drive. It's not like I would leave you for good. I could never do that." he said as he kicked off his pants and climbed into his bed.

"I would hunt you down and kill you if you did..." Cloud joked and bit his lip.

"And I would expect nothing less." he said and put and arm around Cloud's waist. "Are you still wearing your pants?"

"Er...yeah, I-" He blushed slightly. "I didn't want to...be weird about it."

"Weird about it? Cloud, I was taking off your clothes not even 20 minutes ago. Why would it be weird?" he chuckled and hugged the blond.

"Never mind..." Cloud closed his eyes and sighed. He slowly placed his hand on the edge of his pants and bit his lip. "Would you rather I take them off?"

"Wouldn't you be more comfortable?" he asked and placed his hands over Cloud's. "I'm not going to try anything Cloud."

"I...guess." He mumbled and began to take off his pants. "I trust you with my life...I don't think there's anything you can do that can betray that sort of trust."

Leon helped Cloud with his pants then turned Cloud's head back towards his own. "I love you." he whispered.

"I love you too..." The blond took a deep breath and twisted so that he was facing Leon fully.

Leon smiled and pressed their lips together softly. "You must be tired."

The younger hunter gave a small nod and closed his eyes. "We could...try this some other time..."

"Yeah another time." he whispered with a smile and wrapped his arm around Cloud's waist to pull him closer.

Zexion woke up, lying in bed, the covers about his shoulders. Funny, he didn't remember ever making it up to the stairs. Feeling like he zonked out, he slowly got out from underneath Aeleus' loose hold and stretched. His lover's laptop was sitting open just a few feet from his side of the bed and a sudden thought occurred to the teen.

Wouldn't it be nice to get a case out of his hair and solved? he smiled to himself, thinking it'd be easy to do and went to put on some clothes. He knelt beside the laptop and browsed through the files that Aeleus had left open and thumbed his lip in thought. Most of the cases were slightly old and seemed to have run cold, thanks to a lack of evidence.

"Hmmm..." A young girl had caught his eye on the bright screen and he frowned after reading what had happened to her. he quickly memorized the contents of the file and nodded. The main suspect was obviously the killer but for some strange reason there wasn't enough to get him sent to jail and he walked out of the court a free man. He took a deep breath and sighed, curious of how he could help and then he felt that odd tickle and a slight groan come from his abdomen. Zexion cursed his hunger and himself for not realizing he couldn't go a day without a drink. He stared at Aeleus who was snoring lightly and shook his head. No, he wouldn't bother him for his blood tonight.

'Instead,' he thought, 'why don't I just kill the murderer? This girl deserves justice...' The teen stood up and tucked the file window back underneath of the most recent file accessed, just as he had found the screen before snooping and yawned, raising another grumble from his stomach. He shoved his cell phone into his pocket and took one last look at the brunet and smiled. "I'll be right back..." The vampire whispered and left to go pay the man a 'visit'.

Zexion rubbed the back of his neck and frowned, feeling utterly dissatisfied with the man's blood. He had spoiled himself with drinking Aeleus' and most likely teenager donated blood bags. The taste left a bitter taint to his mouth. Killing the man without making it blatantly obvious that a vampire had killed him was a pain, it was a miracle he didn't get any blood on him. He shut the door quietly behind himself and started to slowly make it back up the stairs back to Aeleus' room.

Aeleus was sitting up in bed and he pulled his cell phone from his ear and stared at the floor. He looked up when Zexion walked in the room. "Zexion where have you been?"

"Ah, uhm.." The teen hadn't expected him to have woken up, let alone be talking to someone on the phone at this hour. "I...was out."

"I just got a phone call from the precinct." he said setting his phone on the side table and stood up. "They got a call from a neighbor complaining about yelling and found the body of a murder suspect that I've been investigating, at the scene."

"Uh-huh..." The slate-haired teen nodded and came over to sit on the edge of the bed and looked at Aeleus.

"They found two puncture wounds on the man's neck." he said without looking at the boy.

"...Yeah." Zexion scooted caser to his lover and leaned against him, closing his eyes.

"There's only three things that I can think of that would cause puncture wounds like that. The man who killed you, you're friends..." he looked down at the boy cuddling to his chest. "Or you."

"Mm." The vampire nodded slowly and looked up at Aeleus.

"Is that why you were gone when I woke up? Were you out killing that man?" he asked quietly.

"It...was supposed to be… a surprise." The boy bit his lip but kept his expression light.

"A surprise?" he stood up quickly and stared down at his lover. "What? Like... like a gift?"

"Well," Zexion kept himself from falling over from the sudden movement. "I thought that I could help you, you work so hard on them I thought that I could just take one off your list for you." He said quickly.

"By killing him?! Zexion you have no right! You might be a vampire but you're not God!" he yelled and ran a hand through his hair. "You can't go around killing people because you think that they're guilty of a crime!"

"But...he was guilty! He said it, he said he killed me-her!" Zexion felt like he had been slapped.

"That doesn't do us any good, Zexion. We're the ones who needed to hear the confession. The police. Not a vigilante who thinks that he can take the law into his own hands." he sighed. "All you've done is create a bigger mess."

"I was just...I...I wanted to just help you..." He whispered and he pouted.

Aeleus sighed and turned away from the boy. "Why did you feed from him? I told you I hate it when you kill... "

"I was hungry..." Zexion said quietly. "I didn't want to bother you so I just went ahead and..." He trailed off and shoved his hands between his legs. "I'm sorry..." The teen whispered.

"An apology isn't going to fix this. Didn't you say that you could feed from... what was it? A... a mate?" he asked and put a hand on his hip as he turned to look at Zexion.

"Mm, y-yeah..." Zexion bobbed his head up and down and bit his lip. He had totally screwed up now, before the plan seemed pretty sound but now in hindsight he should've known better.

"Then why don't you go feed from your mate and quit killing humans?!" he yelled and sighed again.

The vampire's eyes widened. "I...I can't do that!" Zexion ran a hand through his hair and shook his head as he stood up. "I would if I could, it's not that easy, Aeleus...!"

"How is it not easy? Go to your stupid partner and feed from him!" he yelled.

"My stupid partner is right...here!" Zexion shrieked and held his hands in tight fists with tears brimming at his eyes.

Aeleus stared at the boy and let his hands fall to his sides. "Right... here?' he breathed.

Zexion ran out of the room, tears streaming down his face. _'How could I have been so stupid!? I thought he knew...'_

Aeleus ran after the boy, biting his lip. "Zexion! Zexion come back!"

The teen could hardly hear him as he ran out of the house heading directly back to Axel's apartment. He felt like he had been rejected. He thought that Aeleus had wanted to become like him, but now it felt like he wanted someone else to be his mate.

Axel walked out of his bedroom, rubbing his eyes when Zexion rushed into the apartment, slamming the door open. "Zexion? What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night."

The teen just continued into his room and shut the door behind him, locking it shut. He held onto his legs after sitting in his bed and continued to cry.

"Zexion?" he knocked on the boy's door and tried the knob. "What happened?" he called out.

"He yelled at me..." He mumbled through his jacket and stared out the window.

"He yelled at you?" he repeated. "Well that doesn't sound like a very good reason to come running home crying."

"I did something really bad.." Zexion wailed and closed his eyes. "Something really...really bad..."

"Zexion open the door and talk to me. You sound hysterical." he said and tried the knob again.

"Just leave me alone!" Zexion buried his face into his knees and sobbed.

"Zexion, What did Aeleus say to you?" he asked calmly.

"What is his problem...?" Roxas called from Axel's room, obviously woken by the shouting. Zexion just held his breath to try to keep from crying but his body would just not allow it.

Axel ignored his lover for the moment and concentrated on Zexion. "What did your mate say to you Zexion?" he asked.

"...He told me to go to my stupid partner and feed from them..." Zexion whispered and the tears streamed down his face, though he had calmed down considerably.

"Shit..." Axel breathed and turned to Roxas. "Roxas go get me a metal hanger would you please?" he asked softly.

The blond raised an eyebrow but did as he was asked and came back out of their room with a shirt still hanging from the hanger. _'What's his issue?' _Roxas frowned and held out the shirt.

"Breakdown." he whispered taking the shirt off the hanger and bending the hook so it was straight. He pushed the piece of metal into a small hole in the doorknob and twisted it until the door was unlocked. He pushed the door open and frowned at the sight of the boy.

Zexion had situated himself on his bed so that he was curled up, on his side and hair mostly obscured his face. "I screwed up..." He whispered and held onto himself.

Axel walked over to the bed and knelt down beside him. "Shh..." he brushed some hair out of his face. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"No!" He responded like a child. "...I killed someone for Aeleus...and he got angry with me..."

Axel frowned and ran his fingers through Zexion's hair. "It'll be ok. He'll come to his senses and come apologize." Axel said quietly. He would drag the human here by force if he had to.

"He doesn't want to be my mate, he told me to go feed from someone else..." Zexion whimpered and bit his lip, eyes not really focused on anything.

Axel sighed and touched their foreheads together. "Just give him a little bit of time." he said and pulled back. "Does anything hurt?"

"I-it hurts, if I think about him..." A fresh new wave of tears began to run down his face but thanks to the position he was in they rolled off the tip of his nose.

Axel wiped away the tears with a frown. "Try not to think of him." he said and stood up. "Try to get some rest alright?"

"I..." He sucked in a breath of air. "He was going to let me turn him in three days... I've screwed everything up, he hates me!" Zexion cringed in pain.

"Hey hey hey! What did I just tell you? Don't think about him right now. Go to sleep." he said and caressed his cheek.

The teen went back to sobbing quietly unable to hold it in and tried to close his eyes, though moisture still seemed to pour out. Aeleus was the only thing his mind *could* think of.

"I'm sorry he hurt you. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." he whispered as walked out of the room slowly.

Roxas was still standing by the door, watching. _'Breakdown?' _He glanced in Axel's direction.

_'It's what happens when a vampire's mate dies or rejects them.' _he put an arm around the blond and let him back into their room. _'Let's go back to sleep.'_

_'Rejects?' _Roxas frowned. _'Then...' _He heard a slightly louder cry of anguish from Zexion's bedroom.

"Yeah... He might be like that for... a while." He said and sat the blond down on the bed.

"So..." He said quietly. "You're just going to let him sit like that?"

Axel looked down at his lover with a frown. "There's nothing that I can do to make him feel any better."

"Oh." Roxas bit his lip and raised a hand up to place his hand on Axel's cheek. "So...the pain he's feeling...you've felt before?"

"I have. Even recently I had the not-so-pleasurable experience of it." he whispered. "It hurts. It always hurts so much." he said putting a hand over Roxas's.

"But...not anymore, right?" The blond asked gently.

"No... Not since you stumbled into my life." he said and took Roxas's hand and kissed it.

Roxas closed his eyes. "Good. You won't have to go through it ever again."

"I know. Because I'm going to protect you with my life." he whispered and leaned down to kiss the blond.

Roxas smiled into the kiss and wrapped his arms around the older vampire's neck. Axel pushed his mate back onto the bed and followed him then straddled his hips. The teenaged vampire let out a short sound of desire and let his hands travel down the redhead's sides.

Axel smirked as he pulled out of the kiss. "You want to go another round Roxi?" he breathed.

"Ah..." The smaller male looked up and opened his mouth to say something witty but quickly closed it when he heard the teenager in the other room.

Axel sighed and his head sank into the crook of Roxas's neck. "Poor kid..."

"There's absolutely _nothing_ you can do?" Roxas sighed and ran a hand through Axel's hair.

"Well I can drag that human's ass back here and make him apologize. But if he doesn't I'll just be making matters worse for him..."

"I guess...there's nothing else then..." Roxas closed his eyes. "It's just...not exactly..."

"Hmm?" Axel sat up and looked at Roxas. "Not exactly what?"

"I can't do it, when he's...upset, like that..." He blushed and bit his upper lip.

Axel smiled and kissed the boy softly. "I understand... It pains me to hear him crying like that."

"Later." Roxas kissed him back and ran a finger along the vampire's jaw.

"Yeah." he smiled and kissed the boy's forehead. "I love you, Roxas."

"I love you too, Axel." Roxas relaxed and closed his eyes.

Axel moved Roxas so that he head was resting on a pillow then laid down next to him. "Goodnight."

"Night." Roxas shifted so that he was as close to Axel as possible.

The red-head put an arm around the younger boy and pulled him closer.


	18. The Bite

Chapter 18

Even sighed and rolled over in his bed as he fiddled with his bed sheet. He was feeling weaker than ever, especially since he hadn't seen his lover for days.

Marluxia walked into the bedroom quietly with a small cardboard carrier in his hand. "Even, darling? Are you awake?" he whispered.

The blond twisted in his bed so that he could see his lover a small smile on his face. "Marluxia..."

"Hello darling. How are you feeling?" he whispered and walked over to the bed to sit down on the edge.

"Mm...Much better now that you're here..." He whispered and reached for the pink-haired man.

Marluxia leaned down and kissed the blond man softly. "I brought you a present." he whispered.

"Oh?" Even smiled. "And what did you get for me?"

The pink-haired man smiled and placed the carrier in Even's lap. "You'll see."

The green-eyed man raised an eyebrow and slowly opened the box that seemed to jostle every so often. "Mm aha..." His eyes lit up and he gently pulled the feline outside of the box. "A cat." Even ran a hand through the fur and smiled. "Beautiful." He whispered and looked back up to Marluxia. "You really shouldn't have..."

"The other cat ran away. And you always get so lonely." he whispered and ran his hand through Even's hair. "I thought you would like her."

"Oh, no! I love her. Thank you, very much Marluxia." The human gave Marluxia a kiss. "She's...great."

"I'll be home with you for good soon. I just need a little more time." he said and caressed Even's cheek.

"Soon? Does that mean...that you've...?" Even scratched at the kitten's ear which brought a gentle purr.

Marluxia shook his head. "No I haven't found a healer. But I don't want to be away from you for much longer."

"So...you don't think you'll find one in time." Even bit his lip and looked away.

"Even I'm so sorry I've looked everywhere, I've tried every type of person... I can't find one..." he whispered and bowed his head.

"It's...ok." Even ran a hand through his lover's hair. "It's fine, there's...always plan B."

"I know you want to be better but it's not looking too bright." he said and looked into Even's eyes. "I love you so much..."

"I love you." The blond smiled. "It's ok..." He whispered. "It's just a silly little hope."

"It's not silly..." he said and cupped the man's cheek. "I wanted to give you your last mortal wish..."

"Not my last..." Even looked to Marluxia's mouth. "My last will be the words you've been wishing to hear for years."

Marluxia sighed and buried his face into Even's neck. "I can't wait to taste you..."

"I applaud you for not trying sooner." Even laughed quietly, the cat squeezed through the closeness and jumped up at the closed window.

"It's been trying my patience I must say." he said kissing Even's neck and pulling away. "I missed you..."

"I've missed you more." The human smiled. "You wouldn't dare jump the gun before I asked, would you? After all these years..."

Marluxia shook his head. "Never... But if you asked right now I wouldn't mind..." he looked up at his lover.

"Tempting..." The human smiled. "But not yet. I want to spend time with you, now that you've come back..."

Marluxia smiled. "I wouldn't want anything else in the world." he whispered and pulled the human into a passionate kiss.

Even moaned into the kiss and wrapped arms around his lover's neck, leaning back into his bed, pulling Marluxia on top of him.

The vampire pulled out of the kiss and stared down at Even. "How are you feeling? Do you think you're strong enough for this?"

"Marly..." The human held onto his lover's face. "Why are you so insistent on asking me to think?"

"I don't want to hurt you Even." he whispered and ran his fingers down the blond's chest.

"I think I can manage..." Even sighed. "I just woke up and I'm feeling better with you simply being here..."

Marluxia smiled and ran his hand under Even's shirt. "Alright but if you start to get tired..."

Even rolled his eyes. "Just shut up and take me."

Marluxia's eyes flashed with passion as he leaned down and captured Even's lips in a deep kiss. The human moaned quietly and tangled his fingers in the pale-pink locks. The vampire's hands made quick work of Even's shirt and moved onto his pants. The blond parted his lips and a hand went down the vampire's side, trailing over to the middle of Marluxia's shirt where long, thin fingers slowly worked their way up the buttons. Marluxia licked at the man lips begging for entrance to his mouth while his fingers pulled the knot to Even's pajama pants loose. Even opened his mouth slightly and attempted to pull off Marluxia's shirt off but his hands lingered on the strong shoulders. Marluxia threw off his shirt and carefully removed Even's pants. He pulled out of the kiss and moved his lips to the human's neck.

"Mm..." Even tilted his head back and rested his hands gently at the back of his neck. "Marluxia..."

"I love you..." he breathed and took in a deep breath on Even's scent. "I love you so much, darling."

"I love you, Marluxia..." Even replied and his arms slipped around Marluxia's sides to embrace him.

The older male let his fangs graze the skin of Even's neck, but then he pulled back to lick at the pale skin.

"Ehn.." Even bit back a slight moan, his eyes opening but then slowly slipping closed. His hands traveled down his spine until they hit Marluxia's pants and they slowly rocked his hips into his lover's.

Marluxia's back arched when their hips met and he carefully pulled his mouth away from Even's neck.

"Too much?" Even asked quietly, a slight tease on the edge of his voice.

Marluxia looked into Even's eyes and wrapped his hand around the human's length and squeezed gently. "Not enough."

Even shuddered with pleasure and licked his lips, bucking to the touch.

"You look so beautiful right now…" he whispered and started to stroke the blond slowly.

"Mmn..." Even reached up to pull Marluxia back into a kiss.

The vampire kissed Even back and tried his hardest not to nip at the man's lips. The ash blond moved his hands to the front of his lover's pants. attempting to get the belt off. Marluxia smirked into the kiss and ran his free hand up Even's side slowly. Once the belt was loose the human fiddled with the button and pulled out of the kiss with an exasperated sigh, a blush adorning his cheeks.

"You're so adorable like this..." he breathed and ran a finger across the red on Even's cheeks.

"I feel like an old man...can't even get the damn button to your pants open." Even pouted.

Marluxia smiled and cupped Even's cheek. "You're not old. Have you forgotten how old I am, love?"

"Th-that's not what I meant..." Green eyes looked away, embarrassed.

He turned Even's face back towards his own. "I love you just as you are. You're perfect."

" I love you Marluxia..." He whispered and reached to touch the vampire's hair. "But you are more perfect than me."

"Well you'll be like me soon so then you'll be more perfect than me." he whispered back.

"Soon..." The human echoed and closed his eyes, nodding. "Yes, very soon."

Marluxia sat up and stared down at the man with worry on his face. "How soon...?"

"If I knew I would have told you exactly when..." He put his hands over his face.

"Days? Weeks? Months?" he asked and took Even's hands away from his face.

"Your doctor has told me...t-two weeks, if that-" He bit his lip. "Marly, please...I don't want to talk about this right now..." Tears came to his eyes.

"Two weeks...?" he breathed and ran his fingers through his hair. "And you weren't going to tell me?"

"I was going to tell you when I thought the time was right..." Even ran a hand through his slightly disheveled hair. "I-I didn't want to...worry you.."

"Worry me? Even, my love, I was tearing my hair out not knowing if you were going to live through the next day!" he stood up and sighed. "Dammit I thought I would have longer than that..."

The blond's shoulders slumped and he sighed. "Marluxia... Please..."

"Please what? Calm down? How?" he turned to the human in the bed. He stared at Even. "Ask me. Now."

Even closed his eyes and shook his head. "Not yet, I want to give you more time."

"There is no more time Even!" he shouted and fell to his knees next to the bed. "My love... My precious Even... I can't lose you."

"You won't...I feel fine right now..." Even gently pet the vampire's head. "One more week...just give it one more week..."

"Fine. I'll keep searching but only for three days, then I want to be by your side." he whispered.

"Alright, fine." The human surrendered. "I will be happy enough knowing that you didn't give up."

"I would feel so much better if you just asked me." he said and grabbed Even's hand.

"I will." He squeezed his hand gently. "In seven days I will ask you, I promise."

"I love you. I love you so much..." he said and nuzzled Even's hand.

"Marluxia...I love you. This nightmare will be over soon..." He whispered gently.

"I've never been so scared in all of my life..." he breathed and kissed Even's hand.

"I'm sorry to have put you through so much hell..." Even wiped his face of the tears that began to run down his face.

"Even, darling, don't cry." he whispered and caressed the man's cheek. "Tears don't flatter you."

"I'm sorry." He apologized quickly and bit his lip. "I just want to hold onto that hope for just a bit longer..."

"Alright. I'll keep looking, I won't give up." he said and kissed the human gently.

Even nodded. "Thank you..." He squeezed his shoulder. "I love you..."

"I love you too Even." he whispered and moved onto the bed to give his lover a hug.

Even hugged him back and took a deep breath. "Go..." He whispered.

Marluxia pulled back to look down at his mate. "Now?" he asked softly. "But I thought you wanted to spend some time with me?"

"I can wait, until three days..." Even bit his lip. "You've given yourself little time..."

"I don't want to be away from you..." he whispered and cupped his cheek.

"I don't either...but I don't want to waste valuable time..." Even bit his lip.

"Alright." he stood up and sighed. He walked over to the windowsill where the little kitten was sleeping and picked her up.

"Did you have a name in mind for her?" Even asked quietly and went to put his pants back on.

"No I thought I would let you name her." the sleepy kitten nuzzled Marluxia's hand and he raised her to eye level. "Now you take good care of my Even." the feline responded with a tiny mew.

"I'll think of a proper name for her then..." The blond managed a smile and looked at the kitten thoughtfully.

The pink haired vampire set the kitten down in Even's lap and smiled as she stretched and curled back up into a ball.

"At least you know you can afford the time I've told you. No more ripping out hair for a few days..." Even joked lightly.

Marluxia laughed and wove his fingers into the blond hair. "I can't wait until you're better."

"Mmmm...neither can I." Even closed his eyes and smiled. "I'll see you soon."

"See you soon." he said and leaned down for a short kiss. "I love you..."

"I love you too..." Even held up Marluxia's shirt and pushed it to his chest.

The vampire took his shirt and put it on. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"

"I'll be fine. I promise I'll still be here in 72 hours." Even leaned back into his bed, the kitten barely registering the movement.

"You better be here ALIVE in 72 hours." he said and redid his pants.

He rolled his eyes. "So this thing is just a toy then?" Even pulled out the small phone that only had one number in it's contacts list. The one that had Marluxia's beeper on speed-dial.

"No. That's for your safety. And you better use it too... if you ever need to." he said and kissed the man's forehead. "Get some rest."

"Just don't wander too far from home..." Even whispered and closed his eyes, pulling the bed sheets close.

"I won't..." he said softly and walked to the door. "Sleep well my love."

Axel walked into through the front door of his apartment with Roxas after work at the Inferno. But instead of a cheery welcome home they were greeted with a loud sob coming from Zexion's room.

"Axel.." Roxas whined. "Please..." He turned to look at his mate. "Fix it, he's not calmed down at all..."

Axel sighed and walked down the hall to Zexion's room. "Zexion?"

"He doesn't want to be bothered right now." A voice answered that sounded like Reno's, though it was muffled.

Axel gasped and took a step back. He then shook his head and slowly pushed the door open. "Zexion?" he repeated.

"I said he doesn't want to be bothered." The illusion repeated and stood at the open door.

Axel stumbled backwards and fell to the ground against the wall. "R-Reno..."

"Axel?" Roxas went to his side and bit his lip. "Axel, it's ok, it's not real..."

Axel stared at the illusion then turned to Roxas and buried his face into the blond's chest.

"Leave him alone!" Roxas frowned at the illusion. "He just wants to help you, Zexion..."

"He doesn't mean it Roxas..." Axel said and grabbed onto Roxas's shirt.

The teen dismissed the illusion and bit his lip. "How...?"

Axel looked up and stood up on weak legs. "I'll make him apologize."

"Apologize? Axel he wants nothing to do with me..." The teen whispered and held back another cry.

"Now I know that's not true. That man is so deep in love with you he doesn't know how to get out."

"What if he doesn't apologize, then?" Zexion shook his head.

"Don't you worry he will apologize." Axel said and walked into the teen's room.

"I'm sure he has no idea what he's put me through..." Zexion looked to the older vampire.

"Exactly. Once he sees you you'll be back in his arms in no time." he said and ran a hand through Zexion's hair.

The teen nodded. "Ok... then what should I do?" Zexion licked his lips. "I'm...so hungry..." He whispered.

"Roxas go get me a blood bag would you please?" he called out over his shoulder. "Just leave everything to me ok?"

"No..." Zexion shook his head quickly. "I can't drink that...Aeleus doesn't like that..."

"Well then what are you going to drink. You have to feed." he said quietly.

"I don't know...he just...doesn't want me to kill or...steal anymore..." The teen bit his lip.

"Roxas go get me a blood bag." he said again. "I don't care if I have to shove it down your throat. You have to feed."

"He'll know I've fed again..." Zexion felt tears come to his eyes as Roxas came back to the room with a bag in hand.

"So you'd rather die?" he took the bag and tore a hole in the corner with his fangs.

"I-If I can't have Aeleus, there's no point..." He whispered, staring at the bag.

Axel grabbed the boy's chin and forced his mouth open then put the bag to his lips.

"Mmn-!" Zexion half-choked on the blood but the instinct to survive kicked in and he took the bag's contents, though he still made a point to resist.

"Deal with it Zexion. Dying isn't an option I'm giving you." Axel said and tipped the bag so more blood flowed into his mouth.

Tears ran down his face and he finally drank the last bit of blood in the bag. "He'll only be more mad at me..." He whimpered.

Axel threw the bag into a trash can that was by the bed. "Zexion, he loves you. So just try to relax alright? I'll be back soon."

The boy curled up into a ball and rolled back into his bed. "Fine..." He whispered.

Axel sighed and kissed the top of Zexion's head and walked out of the room. "Watch over him for me will you Roxi?"

"W-will he use an illusion on me?" Roxas looked up at his lover.

"Just try not to make him angry and you should be fine." he said and pulled Roxas into a deep kiss.

Roxas kissed him back and hugged him. "So even if I don't make him mad, assume anything that isn't here usually is something he's made up?"

Axel nodded. "You got it." he smiled and let go of the boy. "I love you."

"Love you too." Roxas looked back to the teens bedroom and bit his lip, attempting to close his mind from any unwanted memories to be able to use as ammo for Zexion's illusions.

Axel pulled up to Aeleus condo and got out of his car, slamming the door behind him. He walked up to the front door and opened it violently without knocking.

"What the?" Aeleus twisted in his seat and pulled his spare gun out of the back of his file cabinet. He started down the hallway.

Axel's head jerked to the right and he slammed open the door to Aeleus's office.

Aeleus had his gun aimed at the vampire and he stared over the firearm in confusion. He knew the face slightly...from the bar he went to where he met Zexion...the bartender.

"A-Axel?"

Axel rushed over to the human in blur and grabbed the gun throwing it across the room. "You, my friend, are in a lot of trouble." he muttered.

The voice matched the expression of his attacker. "Trouble? What's happened?" He glanced to where his gun had landed.

"You have caused Zexion quiet a lot of pain. Now you're going to fix it or I'm going to fix you up a grave." he growled.

"Zexion? Is he alright?" The human bit his lip, noting the last part of Axel's sentence.

"No he is not alright. And if you love him even an ounce of what I think you do then you'll come with me." he said and pulled Aeleus closer by the collar of his shirt.

Aeleus attempted to pry Axel's hand from him. His eyes had widened with the vampire's display of strength and speed. "What happened to Zexion?"

"You broke his heart." he said shoving Aeleus towards the door.

"Is this about what happened last night?" Aeleus quickly made sure to be ahead of the old vampire's next shove.

"What else would it be about? Did you do something else to upset Zexion?" he asked eyeing the human suspiciously.

"I haven't done anything wrong! Zexion did!" He answered defensively. "He killed someone...as a gift-for me!"

Axel moved like lightning and punched Aeleus in the stomach. "He was only trying to help you! Are you really that heartless or are you just that stupid?"

Aeleus doubled over and held onto his stomach. "I don't... understand." He gasped out.

"Of course you don't! Because all you did was yell at him!" he grabbed Aeleus hair and yanked his head up. "Let me tell you something. You're Zexion's mate, and when a vampire's mate rejects them they go through something called a breakdown. Most vampires don't even find a mate until they're much much older than Zexion is now, much less experience a breakdown. Zexion is going through so much pain right now and it's all. Your. Fault!"

The human stared at Axel's fangs in utter fear and prayed that this wasn't his last moment. "Wh-what can I do?"

"Apologize to him. It's not his fault that he has to kill it's who he is. And if you have any thoughts of becoming like him... You better get used to the thought of being a killer too."

"If I was his mate then why didn't he just tell me?" Aeleus asked quietly. "He said that if a vampire found a mate, they wouldn't have to kill anymore."

"He didn't want you rushing into the decision like he did. He wanted you to figure it all out on your own." he said. "Now are you going to come with me or do I have to drag you out of here and shove you into my trunk?"

"I'm coming!" Aeleus quickly went to Axel's car and got inside the vehicle. "I didn't think...that...I was actually his mate..."

Axel got in on the drivers' side and started the car. "He didn't even say anything when he ran from you?"

"He said that I was his mate-but I had no idea that I was. I thought he already had one!"

"If he already had one why would he be with you? He loves you so much..." he shook his head and pulled away from the condos quickly.

"I guess that makes sense, then.." Aeleus muttered and rubbed his head where Axel had yanked him. "I should of figured it out before..."

"You can't help that you're dense." Axel said as he sped through a yellow light.

Aeleus frowned and bit his lip thinking about how much damage had been done by his lack of thinking.

Axel pulled up to his apartment and turned off his car and got out quickly. "Come on. Let's go."

The human got out of the car and followed after Axel, taking a deep breath, heart racing in worry.

Axel pushed open the door just as Zexion let out a loud sob and Roxas came running to the front door.

The blond stared at Aeleus and had to hide the glare on his face. The crying teenager managed to show him something he didn't want to see.

Axel pulled the blond to his chest and held him close. "Apologize. NOW."

Zexion's ears perked to the sound, scent, and overall presence of his mate. He had to keep himself from running to the door and meeting with him.

Axel pushed the human towards Zexion's room. He pushed him inside and shut the door.

The teen closed his eyes and buried his face into his knees. "H-hey..." he whispered.

Aeleus walked over to the bed slowly and reached out to touch Zexion's head. "Are you alright?"

The boy shook his head hunched closer to himself. "You don't...want me..."

"I don't want... No!" he sat down next to the boy and lifted his head. "No no no... I love you..."

"You don't want a killer..." Zexion looked up with dark eyes, their usual brightness dulled and reddened with the lack of fresh blood.

"Oh Zexi..." he caressed the boy's tear stained cheek. "I didn't mean to hurt you... I'm so sorry..."

"I tried...not to feed...but...Axel..." He closed his eyes and bit his lip. "He made me feed. I know you don't like it..."

"No... You have to eat too..." he kissed the boy's forehead. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"Now you know why I want your blood so much...why I want you like me..." Zexion finally relaxed out of his closed posture and leaned into Aeleus.

"A few more days just a few more days and I'll be just like you." he hugged the boy tightly.

"Tomorrow?" The young vampire asked quietly. "I won't steal or kill for blood anymore..." He whispered into his chest.

Aeleus frowned and wrapped his arms around the vampire. "If you come with me somewhere right now... I'll agree to it tonight."

"Are you sure?" Zexion's eyes lit up slightly and he looked up. "Uhm...I have to ask Axel something...before we go."

"Of course. Ask him if he'll drive us back to my place." he said

The vampire smiled and kissed Aeleus happily. "Ok...uh...I'll be right back!" Zexion rushed out of his room.

Axel was sitting with Roxas on the couch in the living room. "Everything's alright Roxi..."

Roxas looked up at the now happy vampire and looked away when he had eye contact. "So everything is fine...?" Zexion nodded. "I'm...sorry, Roxas...when you change someone...it's the same as when you were changed, right, Axel?"

"Yeah. They have to ask for it. Why?" he asked and ran his fingers through Roxas's hair.

"Aeleus will ask me...after we do something real quick." Zexion smiled. "Would...you mind if...you could take us back to his place?"

Axel looked down at Roxas and kissed his cheek. "Will you be ok for a little while? I'll be right back."

The blond nodded. "I saw you kill him...I'll be fine. Like you said before...he didn't mean it."

"I love you." he whispered and kissed the blond before standing up and grabbing his keys.

"I love you too." Roxas licked his lips. "Don't take forever." Zexion went back to his room and nodded. "He'll take us."

Aeleus walked over to the vampire and took his hand. "Alright. Let's go."

Zexion held tightly onto his lover. "I love you so much..." The teen smiled and started to pull him to the door.

Aeleus smiled and leaned down to lick at Zexion's neck. "I need to practice." he whispered.

Axel walked up behind them and crossed his arms. "Make out in my car and I swear to the Goddess I will dump you in a ditch."

The teen blushed and looked up. "About that...ah...when...I drain you... you have to drink my blood." He paused after he got to the bottom of the steps. "Any...idea where you want to drink from?"

"Hmm... Well I like your neck... so.." he said with a shrug as they walked out of the apartment.

"Aeleus...I can't bite my neck..." he turned slightly. "Marluxia fed me by his wrist..."

"You could cut it and he could drink from the cut... I suppose." Axel said and got into his car.

"Ok. Should be easy enough." Zexion got in the car and scooted over for Aeleus.

Aeleus climbed in after his lover and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Sounds good to me."

The teenager hugged onto the human and closed his eyes. "I...please don't ask me there..." He whispered.

"You don't even know where we're going." Aeleus said with a chuckle.

Zexion looked up confused. "Not a graveyard?"

Aeleus frowned. "How is it that you can read my mind?" he sighed. "Well a flower shop first."

"Ok...You know a shop that's open this late?" The boy raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah a woman I work with owns a 24 hour flower shop." he said with a smile as Axel drove away from the apartment.

"Oh I see..." Zexion leaned up to whisper in his ear. "Should you call in a vacation day?" He kissed behind his ear.

"Good idea. No wonder I love you..." he said with a loving smile.

"I wanna kiss you so much..." He whispered with a slight whine. "I've missed you..."

Axel pulled up to the condo and looked in the back seat at them. "Get out and you can kiss him."

"Thank you for taking us back." Zexion got out of the car quickly.

Aeleus thanked Axel then pulled Zexion into his arms. "I love you..." he said and kissed the vampire.

The teen wrapped his arms around the other man and kissed him back, letting his tongue lick at his lovers lips.

Aeleus moaned into the kiss but pulled away. "Do you want to change me tonight or not?"

Zexion bit his lip in thought. "It was just a kiss..." He grinned never thinking that he'd be this happy to visit someone's grave.

"I know but what starts out as a simple kiss turns into something a lot hotter very quickly." he said and pulled the boy closer.

"I guess..." The vampire pulled away and moved towards Aeleus' car. "You don't need anything inside...do you?"

Aeleus patted his pockets. "No I rushed out so fast I forgot my wallet and keys." he said with a chuckle.

"Then go get them! I'll stay here and remove temptation." The teenager joked.

Aeleus smiled and stole a quick kiss before hurrying into the house by using the spare key under the welcome mat and returning with his keys and wallet.

"Now are you ready?" Zexion had his hand on the handle to the human's car and could practically see himself biting him.

"Yes." he unlocked his car and got in on the drivers' side.

The vampire got in the car and sucked on his lower lip. 'Calm down...just a few more moments and then you can bite him whenever...'

He started the car and pulled away from the condo. "Zexi...?"

The vampire looked at Aeleus and rose an eyebrow not daring to open his mouth to display his too-eager fangs.

He glanced at the boy then back to the road. "Does it hurt? I mean when you turn into a vampire?"

Zexion nodded and looked to his hands. "Yeah...you remember...when I died...I could barely breathe...and I felt like I...uh..." He didn't want to make him change his mind.

"Don't worry Zexi I've been through a lot of pain in my lifetime, this pain is just for something more important." he said softly.

"It felt like a stabbing...repeatedly sensation...prolly my heart trying to...beat with nothing going through." He bit his lip. "I won't leave you...not for a moment."

"Good. Because I didn't plan on letting you go." he said with a loving smile as he pulled into the parking lot of a flower shop.

"Trust me you'll be too preoccupied with the goddess to worry about anything else." Zexion smiled, allowing his fangs to show.

Aeleus took Zexion's chin in his hand and ran his thumb over a fang. "I wonder if you'll find me sexy with fangs."

The vampire had to stop breathing for a second. "I can't wait 'til you bite me with them."

Aeleus smirked and leaned down the nip at the boy's neck. "I can't wait to taste you..."

Zexion pushed him away gently. "Don't you start anything..." he opened his door and got out. "I'm doing it tonight. Don't make me wish I had waited..."

Aeleus chuckled and got out of the car. "You're so cute." he walked around the car and took his hand.

"So...can I get him flowers?" He asked quietly. "You know...just like...I don't know..."

Aeleus smiled and looked down at the boy. "Of course you can. I think he would like that."

"What do you get him?" Zexion looked up to a young brunette.

Aeleus smiled and led Zexion up to the counter. "I know it's a little early Aerith, but I'm going to need my yearly usual. The dozen white lilies."

Aerith looked up surprised. "Oh...you...why didn't you tell me? I would have prepared them for you!" She was about to turn when Zexion spoke up. "Uhm...carnations...can... Can you get a few of those too? Uh, white." The woman nodded sweetly and went to gather the flowers.

"White carnations?" he asked and looked down at the boy.

"They mean...uh... Innocence, remembrance and...p-pure love." Zexion blushed and waved a hand dismissively.

"They can also say sweet love." Aerith replied as she came back with the order. "White lilies also mean purity with majesty...and virginity."

"That's nice Zexion. He'll love them." Zexion pulled out his wallet to pay for the flowers.

"Mm..." The teen smiled and leaned into the human. "I'm glad that he will."

Aeleus handed Aerith the money and took the flowers. "Thanks Aerith. Oh and could you tell Isa that I won't be in for a while?"

"Of course." Aerith nodded and sighed. "He'll understand." Zexion looked away, knowing that Isa wouldn't truly understand why one of his officers would be off.

"Thanks." he said then walked with Zexion out of the store.

"Well...do you want...time alone or..." Zexion couldn't help feel like some grim reaper, waiting silently to kill.

"I want you to meet him." he said softly and leaned down to kiss his cheek. "He would have liked you."

"Ahm...ok." The teen nodded and made his way to the car. "I'll take the flowers."

Aeleus handed him the flowers and unlocked the car. He got in and started the vehicle.

"I don't want to impose..." The boy bit his lip. "But...it's what you want."

"It's no big deal. Everything that I want to tell him is about you... about us."

"Oh...ok." Zexion settled into his seat. "I just hope he won't hold a grudge on me for...what I'm going to do."

"I think he would understand." he said and pulled out of the parking lot headed to the cemetery.

"Just...wait 'til we're back home before you even think about asking." Zexion smiled, though he'd be perfectly happy if he asked him over his brother's grave.

"Alright." he said and glanced at the vampire. "But I'll be speeding home afterwards."

"Isn't that a little...dangerous? Policemen aren't supposed to speed." He grinned.

"For you... I would do anything." he said with a smile and grabbed one of Zexion's hands.

The boy closed his eyes and put his hand on top of theirs. "I won't rush you, you really shouldn't be in a hurry to die."

"But dying means an eternity with you." he said squeezing Zexion's hand.

"Only the first time." He whispered and bit his lip. "I'm glad you're feeling comfortable with this."

"Anything to make you happy." he said and lifted Zexion's hand to kiss it.

"What makes you happy?" The vampire frowned. "And don't say whatever makes me happy."

"Being near you." he said softly with a smile.

"Okay, I rephrase...don't say anything that involves me...that goes without saying...what makes you happy?"

"Hmm... Catching the bad guy." he said and pulled up to the graveyard.

The teen winced being reminded of his mistake. "Catching...not killing."

"Relax. I forgave you. It's alright." he said softly and turned off the car.

"It was stupid, and wrong..." Zexion frowned. "But thank you..."

"But at least he got what he deserved." he said and got out of the car.

The vampire pulled himself out of the car and tried to at least feel forgiven. "You...are truly a different person."

Aeleus smiled and put an arm around Zexion's waist. "It's because I love you." he said and led him into the grass.

The boy followed after the human and sighed when they stopped in front of the marker of the man's brother.

Aeleus took the lilies from Zexion and kneeled down to lay them against the headstone. "Hey big bro. I know I'm a little early this year but it's not without a reason." he stood up and pulled Zexion to his chest. "It's because of this little guy right here. His name is Zexion and I love him." he smiled down at the boy.

"Ah...uhm...H-hi." He made a face feeling odd addressing the headstone but quickly righted himself so that his lover wouldn't notice.

"He's a vampire and tonight... he's going to make me like him." he said and rubbed Zexion's back. "He brought you something."

"Ah...c-carnations." He gently placed the flowers beside the lilies and bit his lip. "I really love him."

Aeleus smiled and pulled Zexion into a tight hug. "He would have approved."

"Hm..." The teen closed his eyes and held tightly onto his mate. "Now if only I could get the approval of your friend."

"It's takes a lot to get Xehanort to like you." he said and kissed the top of Zexion's head. "He'll come around."

"Yeah? What did you do to make him like you?" Zexion looked up with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh... I guess maybe I was an exception." he said with a chuckle.

"Just a likeable guy with a strong...strong sense of...justice." the vampire grinned.

Aeleus lifted the vampire into his arms and smiled. He looked back at his brothers grave. "We're going to head out now bro. We'll come visit again soon."

Zexion shifted closer to the human and breathed in his scent. "So strong..."

"Just imagine how much stronger I'll be when I'm a vampire." he said softly.

"Sounds exciting..." The boy whispered. "But I don't think I'm that much stronger than I was before."

"Maybe it's something that happens over time, cause Axel... man... he lifted me up like I was nothing but a feather." he said and carried the boy back to the car.

"He's not trained me yet...it may be something I haven't realized...He picked you up?" The young vampire frowned. "Did he hurt you?"

"Don't worry about it Zexi. I deserved it." he said and opened the car door.

Zexion pulled himself from Aeleus' arms and sat down in the car. "I probably will get some...punishment later after what I did to Roxas..."

"What did you do to him?" he asked and shut the door, then hurried to the other side to get in behind the wheel.

"I just...kept him away from my room with...the hunter that was chasing him..." The vampire covered his face. "He's dead now but what I can do wards people away."

"Hmm... Well I guess you can blame that on me. I hurt you so very badly." he said and reached over to caress the boy's cheek.

"It's okay...you've redeemed yourself enough." Zexion smiled. "I forgive you."

"Good... Because I couldn't live without you." he said and kissed the vampire softly. "Zexion?"

"Not in the car..." he whispered. "I...don't know how to drive..." The teen blushed.

Aeleus chuckled and kissed the boy again. "Ok I won't ask in the car."

"Mm...drive fast. Even though I'm saying no right now...you know I want it..." He pulled away completely.

Aeleus frowned when the boy pulled away but then started the car and pulled away from the cemetery quickly.

"I'm not going to hinder your driving. The last thing I need is you hurt." Zexion bit his lip.

Aeleus smirked and reached over to place his hand on Zexion's leg.

"I love you..." He slipped his hand overtop of Aeleus', looking over to him, the situation seeming the same as before he became a vampire.

Aeleus smiled and ran his hand up Zexion's leg to his crotch. "I love you too."

"Mm...Aeleus..." The vampire blushed and turned his gaze away from his lover. "B-both hands on the wheel."

"I can handle this." he said and undid the boy's pants and pushed his hand inside.

The teen gasped and squirmed slightly under the human's touch. "A-Ael..."

The human chuckled and pulled Zexion's length out and stroked him quickly.

The vampire whimpered and grabbed the man's arm. "Aeleus...you're going to make a mess..."

"The way I see it... you're the one who's going to make a mess." he said, running his thumb over the tip of Zexion's growing erection.

The teen groaned quietly and bucked into his hand. "I..." he bit his lip and looked up to his lover.

Aeleus glanced at the boy and smirked. "You look amazing." he breathed.

"Fuh-flustered and..." Zexion closed his eyes. "Stuck in your c-car...?"

"Yeah... so cute." he whispered and squeezed before moving his hand faster.

The vampire moaned quietly and tugged on Aeleus's hand before releasing, taking a deep breath.

Aeleus smirked and pulled his hand back licking at the white substance. "That wasn't so bad now was it?"

"Look at what you made me do..." The boy leaned back and stared at him with a half open eye. "Are we home yet?"

Aeleus pulled up to the condo complex. "Yeah. Shall we go inside?"

Zexion nodded slowly. "I'm not cleaning that up..." He whispered quietly.

Aeleus smirked and leaned over to lick Zexion's cum off of the dashboard. "There all clean."

Zexion sucked on his lower lip and got out of the car before fixing his pants. "Your bedroom...now." He said as he turned back to the car.

Aeleus got out, locked the car and walked over to Zexion. He picked him up bridal style and walked into his condo.

Zexion immediately began kissing his lover and wrapped his arms around his neck to keep a solid grip on him as they made their way into the home.

Aeleus hurriedly shut the door behind them and carried the boy up the stairs to his room. He set the boy on the bed and straddled his hips.

Zexion blushed and looked up at his lover expectantly, raising his hands to his shoulders.

"I love you." he whispered and leaned down to kiss him. "You want me to ask now?"

"It'd be easier...if I were on top..." The vampire whispered. "But yes, I want you to ask me."

Aeleus sat up and pulled Zexion into his lap. "Alright." he took a breath and kissed the boy again before pulling back to look into his eyes. "Change me."

The teen wrapped an arm around Aeleus' back to hold tightly to him and he gently placed a kiss in the hollow of his neck before he bit him. Zexion couldn't help the moan when he tasted his lover.

Aeleus grunted then let out a low moan. "Zexi..." he wrapped his arms around the boy and held him close. "Dear God..."

Zexion continued to suck his blood and his eyes slipped closed when he began to lick at the wound he continued to pull from.

Aeleus closed his eyes to keep the room from spinning and he leaned back on the pillows. "Zexi..."

The rush of blood had kept the vampire enthralled but something suddenly snapped in him to pull away. Eyes wide and dilated, he shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Nn...knife..."

Aeleus fumbled with his pocket and managed to pull the pocket knife from his pocket.

The boy grabbed it quickly and flipped out the blade and grunted quietly as he made the cut on his neck. His blood dripped past his fingers and he tossed the small knife away, leaning over the older man. "Drink." He quietly ordered.

Aeleus leaned closer weakly and licked at the dripping blood. After a small swallow he closed his lips around the wound and started to drink.

Zexion leaned closer to his lover and licked his lips. "Aeleus. When you feel your fangs...use them, it's easier..."

"Mmm..." Aeleus wove his fingers into Zexion's hair and pulled his head back to suck harder. Aeleus held the boy close and sank his new formed fangs into Zexion's neck.

The teen gasped and clutched at the sheets tightly. "Ahn… A-Aeleus..."

Aeleus moaned and pulled his lover closer. He pulled back, blood trailing down his chin.

Zexion hoped it was enough and licked the blood off his chin and kissed him gently.

The human kissed him back then pulled back groaning from the pain in his chest.

"I...I'm sorry..." The boy whispered and took his hand.

The man clutched his chest and fell over onto the bed and let out a loud groan, that was close to a scream.

Zexion leaned over him and placed his hands on the sides of his lover's head. "Shh, don't scream." He whimpered.

Aeleus opened his eyes slightly and stared into Zexion's eyes. "Zexi... Fuck..." he groaned and curled up.

"I know...I know it hurts..." The teen whispered and kissed his forehead. "I'm sorry..."

Aeleus went limp against the pillows and his eyes lost focus. "Zexi..." he breathed out and reached for Zexion's hand.

"I'll be here when you wake up, I promise." He clasped the dying human's hand.

He kissed Zexion's hand and he fell into unconsciousness.


	19. New Beginnings

Chapter 19

"I can't believe that bastard took a vacation day... and he didn't even tell me." he said and slammed his car door and walked up to Aeleus's front door.

Zexion sat still with his lover, petting his head gently, abandoning the idea of sleep unless he woke up earlier.

Xehanort banged on the front door and crossed his arms as he waited for an answer.

The vampire jumped and slowly pulled away from Aeleus, kissing his hand. He quickly rushed to the front door as quietly as he could and peeked to see who it was. Seeing Aeleus' partner made him feel like running back up to the bedroom and ignoring the door. But he had to answer it. "Ah, H-hi...uh...Xehanort, was it?" He tried to manage a smile as he opened the door.

Xehanort glared at the boy and stepped through the doorway. "Where is Aeleus?"

"Ahm..." Zexion pushed his bangs behind his ear nervously. "He's...not feeling well. I-I can tell him that you stopped by, though."

"I want to see him." he said and pushed past the teen.

Aeleus appeared at the top of the stairs and looked down at the two.

"Aeleus...?" Zexion whispered and looked up before he pushed the door closed.

Aeleus stared at the human and licked his lips before rushing down the stairs to try and take a bite out of Xehanort.

"No no no!" The youngest of the three shoved the only human around out of the way with a rush of adrenaline.

Aeleus slammed into the other vampire and reached for Xehanort. He opened his mouth, showing off his fangs with a low growl.

"Aeleus, stop it!" Zexion held onto the new vampire and glanced back at the tan man.

The new vampire looked down at Zexion and stared at his neck. He leaned down and sank his fangs into the teen's neck.

"Nnh!" Zexion gasped and felt close to losing the strength in his legs. Xehanort got up from the floor staring at the two in utter fear.

Aeleus drank deeply and closed his eyes as he let out a soft moan. He put his arms around Zexion and pulled him closer.

"Xehanort..." Zexion closed his eyes. "I'm sure he wouldn't want you to see him like...like this." He whispered. The human backed away until he felt the door handle.

"Wh...what did you do?" Xehanort couldn't help but feel like something horrible had happened and his eyes narrowed when the obvious had made itself painfully clear what actually did happen.

Aeleus ran a hand down to Zexion's ass and he lifted the boy into his arms and pinned him to the wall.

"Aeleus! W-wait!" Zexion bit his lip and pushed on his shoulders and winced realizing his lover's fangs were still connected to his neck. "Xehanort, please! Just leave..." He spoke weakly. The human shook his head and left quickly, slamming the door shut behind him, feeling sick at what he was seeing.

Aeleus pulled back and licked at the wound to help it heal. "You taste amazing..."

"That's great..." Zexion whispered and closed his eyes. "Xehanort said hi." He bit his lip and looked down at his neck.

"X-Xehanort?" he pulled back with a confused look. "He was here? When?"

"Two seconds ago. Excuse me..." He nipped at his mate's neck before gently biting into it, feeling drained.

Aeleus gasped softly and held the boy close. "What...? So he... he saw that?"

The boy squeezed his shoulder gently and made sure that he took only what he needed, pulling away with a nod.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he said and went to open the front door quickly.

"You...when you first wake up you don't think about anything, but fulfilling your hunger...everything else won't register." He sucked on his lower lip. "We can talk about this later. I...you have to tell me what your dream was."

Aeleus sighed as he watched his partner's car drive away. "Dammit..." he walked back into the condo.

"You almost killed him..." Zexion whispered and reached for his lover's neck but his bite mark was already healed, without any help of his own. "The dream Aeleus, what did she say?"

"Well something about my name? And a power?" he asked and lifted the boy up into his arms.

"Ok...your name, that's easier for you to know what that is..." The teen pulled himself closer.

"Uh..." he carried the boy back up the stairs to his room. "Lexaeus..."

The boy smiled. "Lexaeus..." After a moment he tilted his head to the side. "What's your power, Lexaeus? What riddle did she leave you with?"

"Something about being brave and powerful but also being gentle and able to offer help to those who need it. " he said and sat down on the bed.

"Well...that's pretty vague...Are you sure she didn't say anything else?" Zexion licked his lips before reaching for his cell-phone. "I should call Axel..."

"Well earth maybe?" he said and grabbed the cell phone. "Axel can wait. I can't..." he said and pushed Zexion back on the bed.

"Earth? That's a hell of a conclusion. Wh...Earth? She could have meant any-" Zexion was cut off by his mate's lips in a hungry kiss.

Lexaeus pushed a hand up Zexion's shirt and pressed a knee into his crotch.

The teen gasped and instantly moved to a position where he was more comfortable. _'O-Ok...ok yeah, this is...uhm...' _His mind was unable to form a good sense of what was going on.

_'Amazing?' _he pulled out of the kiss to pull off the boy's shirt.

_'Well...I was going to say...different-wait.' _Zexion realized his mouth wasn't moving, and was even previously occupied at the first statement Lexaeus answered. "How..."

Lexaeus pulled back and looked down at him. "What?" he tilted his head to the side.

"Axel didn't tell me I could communicate like that...through...just thoughts-You heard me?" Zexion raised an eyebrow.

"Um... yeah?" he said and stared at the boy. "Why?" he leaned down and pressed their lips together.

_'Forget it, I'm talking too much and killing your insane want for me, I bet.' _Zexion kissed him back and ran his hands down his chest.

_'You're so smart...' _he pulled off Zexion's pants and kissed down his neck. "I want you so badly..."

"You have me." The teen answered simply and slipped his fingers up his shirt, easing the fabric up slowly.

Lexaeus threw off his shirt and hurriedly removed his pants before kissing Zexion roughly.

"Mmh." The teen groped at his mate's sides to pull him closer and rocked his hips slowly into the others.

"Mmm." he moaned softly and pulled off his boxers then Zexion's and parted his legs.

_'I didn't get a chance to say it before you fell asleep...' _The smaller male pulled away only so that his lips could move. "I love you."

"I love you too." he whispered and pushed into Zexion slowly.

Zexion dug his nails into his sides none too gently and bit his lip from crying out, slightly.

"God... you feel amazing..." he groaned and leaned closer to the boy.

"Mmn." The teen looked up and blushed. "Ae-Lexaeus..." Zexion leaned up to kiss him.

Lexaeus pressed their lips together and moaned into the kiss. Zexion nipped at his lover's lips and wrapped his arms around his neck. Lexaeus pulled Zexion closer and lifted Zexion's legs higher to push into him deeper. The teen whimpered and squeezed his shoulders, pulling out of the kiss, panting.

"This feels amazing." he whispered and moved his head down into the crook of Zexion's neck.

"Y-yeah..." The slate-haired teen bit his lip and reached a hand to run through Lexaeus' curls.

Lexaeus kissed the boy's neck and pressed closer to him. "I love you..."

"I love you too, Lexaeus..." He breathed and tried to relax in his position.

The new vampire pulled back and ran a hand up Zexion's chest. "You're so cute."

"So you keep telling me..." The sire tried to keep his mind off the pain and to random banter.

Lexaeus moved his hand down to Zexion's crotch and took his length into his hand.

The boy sucked in his lower lip and his blush only went darker. "Lexaeus..."

"Hmm?" he looked up into Zexion's eyes and smiled. "I love you so much..."

The smaller male closed his eyes and mentally shook his head, he'd rather he just get it out of his system than interrupt him. He just hoped that he would be able to move later

Lexaeus started to move his hand and leaned down to kiss Zexion's neck to nip at the skin.

The teen moaned quietly and tilted his head so that he left more room for Lexaeus to enjoy.

Lexaeus bit into his neck and moaned when the blood met his tongue.

"Mmh-" Now that...that felt good. The first time he had been actually bitten felt painful, rushed and his mind was focused on a completely different man. He arched his back into the touch and licked his lips. Lexaeus pushed into the smaller vampire and took a mouthful of blood into his mouth and swallowed before pulling away. Zexion pouted when he took what seemed so little, leaving him to have another rush of pain hit him. He decided now that he didn't like being taken roughly-at all. Lexaeus grunted as he released and pulled out before moving down and taking Zexion's erection into his mouth.

"Oh." The teen's eyes widened as he sucked in a breath of surprise. His face felt on fire.

Lexaeus moaned and bobbed is head quickly. He deep throated the teen and placed his hands on Zexion's hips.

"Ah… L-Lexaehn..." The boy felt himself relax though the insistent need to release wouldn't leave him alone.

He pulled back, licking at the tip before take it all back into his mouth.

Zexion moaned loudly and arched his back when he released. "Hah...Lexaeus..." He tried to calm his breathing.

Lexaeus sat up with a clear smirk on his face and he laid down next to the boy.

"You feel...better now?" He asked slowly, quietly, feeling utterly exhausted.

"Much…" he said and pulled the boy closer. "I love you so much... oh and being a vampire isn't half bad either."

The teen let out a short laugh and twisted to give him a kiss and let out an unpleasant squeak. "Ah..."

"Are you alright?" he asked and pushed Zexion onto his back carefully. He leaned over him with a look of worry on his face.

"F-fine." He flat out lied and squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm..." Zexion covered his face.

Lexaeus bit his lip and took Zexion's face in his hands.

"I'm sorry..." He whispered and felt tears come to his eyes, wishing that he had waited to do this.

"Zexi, what's wrong? What did I do?" he said and caressed his cheek.

"I can't...I can't...do...like that..." He took in a tortured breath. "Please..."

Lexaeus stared down at him with wide eyes. "Oh God... was I too rough?" he whispered.

Zexion nodded slightly and looked up. "It's ok...I'm a vampire, I can handle it..."

"Oh God... I'm so sorry... God I can't believe I hurt you like that..." he said and leaned down to kiss his forehead. "I'm so sorry..."

"Just...never do that again..." Zexion rubbed a thumb across his lover's cheek. "It's ok...payback for...killing you." He attempted to make him smile.

"Are you bleeding?" he asked and looked down Zexion's body.

"If it didn't hurt so much to move I would tell you..." He murmured. "I don't recall...ever doing that before?"

Lexaeus bit his lip and looked over Zexion's body like he was made of glass. "I hurt you... Oh Zexi why didn't you say anything?"

"I don't think you would have cared at the moment..." Zexion tried to simply inch back up but winced. "I wanted you to be able to just...get it out of your system."

"Oh Zexi… I would have stopped…" he helped the boy move and sighed. "I love you Zexi… I'm sorry." he repeated.

"Mmn...stop apologizing, I'm fine...Just give me...like a half hour." Zexion put his hands on his lover's shoulders. "I'll be fine...and now you know never to do that again." His lips curved slightly.

Lexaeus smiled softly and ran his fingers through the boy's hair. "That's right... never again."

"Though you can bite me anytime...that felt..." He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "It's really nice." The teen laughed.

"You like it when I bite you?" he whispered and laid down next to the boy.

"Yeah...It's...practically indescribable..." The teen raised a hand to his neck and rubbed it.

Lexaeus bit his lip and stared at Zexion's neck. "Well you taste amazing too."

"I should." Zexion grinned, looking up to the ceiling. "Axel told me...'Sixteen is when the blood is sweetest.' Lucky you..."

"Hmm..." he leaned over and nuzzled Zexion's neck. "I love you."

"I love you too." The boy rubbed his face. "I should really rest... and... you should try talking to Xehanort."

Lexaeus smiled and kissed Zexion's neck before pulling away and sitting up. "Alright I'll call him."

"I should call Axel myself...could you get my cell?" He slowly lifted himself up on his elbows.

"No." he said and stood up. "Lay down and get some sleep."

After a moment Zexion relaxed back into the bed. "Ok. If it'll make you feel better..."

"Yes." he leaned over kissing Zexion's cheek. "Now sleep." he said softly.

The teen closed his eyes and sighed. "See you in thirty, Lexaeus..."

"You can sleep longer than that." he whispered and caressed his cheek.

"Well I'm not going to take a 17 hour nap like you did..." He whispered and soon his breathing went slow and steady.

"I love you so much..." he said and kissed his forehead before leaving the room.

He opened his phone and dialed Xehanort's number.

Xehanort eyed his phone warily that vibrated in the cup holder of his car. He carefully lifted it up and bit his lip when he read that it was his partner.

Lexaeus walked down the stairs to the living room and sat on the couch.

He flipped the phone open and sucked in a breath to say something but couldn't find the voice to say anything, staring at the car in front of him, his other hand firmly gripping the wheel.

"Xehanort?" he asked and leaned back on the couch.

The voice sounded the same, but he knew his partner had changed. "What..." His voice came out as a whisper and he cleared his throat. "What the hell...was that?"

"Xehanort I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you sooner... It really happened so fast." he said softly.

"I...you came after me! You were going to kill me, who the hell are you?" White eyebrows knitted together in anger.

"I'm still your partner Xehanort. You're still my best friend." he said. "I wasn't in my right mind at the time."

"Wasn't in your right-Aeleus!" He stopped at a red light. "You're a...a…a vampire! You kill people to live, is that boy still alive?"

"Yes of course he's still alive! I would never hurt him!" he yelled then took a deep breath. "My name isn't Aeleus anymore."

The tan man shook his head. "No. I..." He had to stop driving and turned into a parking lot. "I don't...I can't be hearing this..."

"Xehanort I want to talk. Can you please come over?" he asked.

"Come over?" It sounded like a statement. "You won't try to bite me again will you?" He was beginning to get angry.

"No. I'm... I'm well fed." he muttered and placed his face in his hand.

"Oh, so you're confessing a murder, then? I should come over ready to arrest you." He pulled out of the parking lot and began to back track to the new vampire's home.

"No I fed from Zexi." he said. "I won't feed from humans. I can promise you that."

Xehanort took a deep breath. "What the hell are you even saying?" He ran a hand through his hair.

"Zexion is my mate so I can drink his blood and survive on it." he said. "Look let's just talk when you get here. You are coming right?"

"Alright, whatever the hell you say, vampire not named Aeleus." He closed the phone and tossed it into the passenger seat. "Am I being insane for going straight back to the place I nearly died at not even a freaking hour ago?" He asked himself staring into the side mirror. "I'm not insane am I?" After a moment he realized how ridiculous he was being, talking to his reflection. "I am going insane." He muttered.

Lexaeus stood up and walked over to the front door to wait for his friend.

Xehanort hadn't roamed too far from his partner's house, just trying to calm himself by driving around aimlessly. When he got back to the house he frowned. "I'm walking straight into a trap, I just know it..." He growled after he got out from his car and stalked over to the door.

Lexaeus opened the front door and smiled sadly at his friend. "Hey."

The human kept his distance and stared at the man. "Aeleus, I swear if this is some sort of trap..." He warned.

"Never." he said and waved his hand in front of him. "I couldn't hurt you, you're my best friend."

"You would've if that kid hadn't pushed me into the goddamn wall." Xehanort crossed his arms.

"I'm sorry Xehanort. I really had no idea what I was doing or what was going on." he said and closed the door behind him.

"So? What do you want to talk about? I didn't take a vacation day, like you." The silver-haired man moved away from the vampire.

"Well I guess about the situation that we're in now." he said rubbing the back of his neck.

"Ok...Arlene has a new boyfriend, my partner has turned into a bloodsucking vampire, Isa is going wild with the concept of me moving in. Alright, now you're all up to date on what's happened for me, what's happened to you?" The human sat on the couch and glared at his partner.

"Well I was turned into a vampire today." he said and sat next to the human. "Xehanort I know you don't like this but I love Zexion..."

"Ok, fine, you're saying you only feed from the kid. You aren't a killer, so what does this mean?" Xehanort looked around. "Where is he anyway?"

"Upstairs sleeping." he said softly. "This means that my life is a little different now."

"Ok, fantastic! Whole brand new life for you, congratulations! Should we throw a party for you?" The tan man crossed his legs and looked away. "I have no idea what you want me to say..."

"I want you to be supportive! Why can't you see that I'm happy now?" he said and stared at his friend. "I won't kill so why does it matter to you if I'm human or not?"

"Why does it matter...? Aeleus..." Xehanort leaned forward and put his head in his hands.

"Xehanort. Please... please understand." he whispered and put a hand on his shoulder.

Xehanort sighed and stared at the hand on his shoulder. "I'm... happy... that you're happy. But you won't age and then everyone will die and you'll still be around."

"Is that you're so upset about?" he chuckled. "I can change you if you want. That way you can stay with me..."

"And then what? Watch Isa fade away and feed off of the kid too?" Xehanort looked up with a disgusted face. "Aeleus, what kind of request is that?"

"No no no!" he shook his head. "You can't feed from Zexion. One he's mine. And two the only reason I can feed from him is because he's my mate." he said. "You can change Isa..."

"Oh, ok, sure..." Xehanort leaned back and covered his face. "And after I've changed Isa, we'll change Arlene for the sake of never losing her constant chatter and then Aerith can be changed and then her boyfriend Zack. Hell, why don't we just change the whole precinct into a COVEN!" The human held a scowl on his face.

"Well we can't change all of the precinct..." he muttered. "Xehanort... you're my best friend you know that.

"Do you remember that woman, the one that was pestering Isa for more evidence on his case?" Xehanort quickly changed the subject and pointed to the stairs.

"Yeah? She's bad news for Zexion and I guess for myself now too." he said. "What does she want?"

"Yeah!" Xehanort nodded as if that made everything make sense from the previous conversation. "She's from some agency, I looked her up. Tifa Lockheart, she's part of some kind of hush hush thing." Xehanort frowned and crossed his arms. "I could hardly get close to anything when I called around."

"Well that's no good. I guess Zexion and I should lay low for awhile."

"And here you are laying out invitations to be changed into a vampire...when you're hardly one yourself! Laying low will get you no where! The one case I was able to find was one that happened near...ten or so years ago, she wasn't part of the group she's with now, so I guess I just got lucky with it..." He paused taking a deep breath.

"Oh and what else? Did you figure anything else out?" he asked and leaned back on the couch.

"She went after some guy named...Reno, I think was the name. It was too vague to get anything real off of it but after they apprehended him...it was like he just fell out of the report completely. No charges, no records of time spent in any jail… Just gone." Xehanort turned his head to look at the vampire. "I don't like this."

"What, do you think they killed him?" he asked and crossed his arms.

"Killed him or took him away to inspect or maybe he got away. I don't know, I just don't like how you've left yourself open to this...this hunter." Xehanort shook his head.

"Reno?" A quiet voice asked from the stairs. "You said Reno?"

Lexaeus stood up when he heard his lover's voice. "Zexi you shouldn't be up." he said and hurried over to him.

"I told you, I'd be fine..." Zexion finished the last few steps. "Look, I even dressed myself. I'm ok."

Xehanort nodded when the boy looked to him. "Are you meaning to tell me that you know Reno?"

Lexaeus, not convinced that the boy was completely healed, picked him up and carried him to the couch. He sat down with the older vampire in his lap.

"He's dead." Zexion answered and settled into Lexaeus' arms. "I didn't know him personally but I'm...close to the one he lived with." The teen bit his lip as Xehanort simply stared, not really comprehending.

"You mean Axel? What was his relationship with Reno?" Lexaeus asked and wrapped his arms around the boy.

"Reno was Axel's mate. He's also the best illusion I can do at the moment." Zexion looked up.

"Wait, mate?" Xehanort's eyes widened. "So you aren't safe at all from her! She'll still kill you, even if you haven't killed anyone!"

"She's a vampire hunter... It's what she does." he said and nuzzled Zexion's neck.

"And you have no idea why I'm pissed at you?" The human gaped. "You're absolutely incredible..."

"Mm, don't get greedy, Lexaeus..." Zexion closed his eyes and raised a hand to pat at the other vampire's cheek.

"Mmmm... I won't do anything with company around." he said and pulled away.

"I'm sorry but...I wouldn't dream of putting Isa in that kind of danger..."The tan man leaned forward.

"Hmm?" Zexion rose an eyebrow. "What's he talking about?"

"I asked Xehanort if he wanted to be changed." he said and looked over to his friend. "He's in more danger being mortal you know." he whispered.

_'If he doesn't want it, then you can't give it to him.'_ Zexion answered, using his thoughts, testing if it still worked.

Lexaeus looked up at the teen. _'I don't want to lose my best friend.' _he answered, testing out the mind link.

_'It's a decision you made...you can't make that kind of decision for him.'_ Zexion smiled, happy that the link still worked.

_'I can still try to convince him it's safer being what we are.'_ he said with a smile and hugged the teen.

Xehanort stared at the two as they seemed to simply forget he was there. "Hey!" He frowned. "I don't know what to do. She's going to come after you..."

Lexaeus looked back at his friend and blinked. "Oh sorry Xehanort." he said with a smile. "Don't worry we can handle her. Right Zexi?"

"Axel...was pretty concerned when I dropped her name." Zexion licked his lips and looked up to his lover. "But, yes, it's nice to have numbers on our side."

Lexaeus smirked and gave the boy a hug. "I'll be sure to do my best to help."

Xehanort stood up from the couch. "I'll try to keep her from finding out anything. But I don't want to put myself in that kind of danger...I'm in enough danger as it is, being a cop."

"It's safer being a vampire." he muttered and nuzzled Zexion's neck.

"I'm not ready to take that kind of step. At least I know that I'm not being hunted by someone." The human started to head for the door.

"Thank you...for giving us the head's up, Xehanort." Zexion said quietly. "It's ok, you don't have to make the decision. Don't feel pressured to-"

"I don't...Listen...Lexaeus." The name came out slowly, feeling awkward on his tongue. "You still have to come to work tomorrow. I'm not giving you up that easily."

"I'll be there don't you worry." he said and set Zexion down to give his friend a hug.

The tan man stiffened and bit his lip, hesitating before finally returning the hug. "See you later."

"See ya." he said letting go of the human. "Drive safe and tell Isa that I'm sorry for missing work."

Xehanort walked over to the door. "It was just a vacation day." He shrugged before taking a long look at Zexion, then left.

After a moment Zexion sighed. _'He's scared of you.'_

"Scared of me?" he turned and looked at his mate. "Don't be ridiculous. He's my best friend..."

"Yeah...that's probably the only thing that made him come back here, after you attacked him." Zexion leaned back into the couch.

"Can we just pretend like I didn't." he said with a wince.

"He's trying, but I think he'll need some space for a while." Zexion dug his cell-phone out of his pocket. "I have to call Axel, he might be worried about me."

Lexaeus sighed and sat down next to the boy pulling him back into his lap. "I didn't think that I could love you any more than I already did but... God I love you."

The teen grinned and put the phone to his ear. "I love you too."

Lexaeus breathed in Zexion's scent and let out a low, quiet moan. "Love you more..."

"Stop that, I'm making this phone call and there's nothing you can do to stop me." He teased and covered his neck with his free hand.

Lexaeus pouted and nuzzled his way under Zexion's hand. "I just like to smell you... ok that wasn't creepy." he laughed and pulled back slightly.

"Not at all, for a while that's all I could do around you." He smiled and tilted his head. "Sniff away."

Lexaeus buried his face into Zexion's neck, content with his position.

"Hey Zexion. What's going on?" Axel said as he answered the phone.

"Hey...Lexaeus is awake now." The teen shifted slightly to become more comfortable. "He's quite strong..."

"Oh that's great! How did it go?" he asked and the sound of a body being pushed onto a bed was heard.

"Good for the most part...he's got an appetite for me." Zexion smirked. "I asked him about the Goddess and...she said something about being strong and brave and being able to help others in times of need or something like that...real 'Hero' archetype."

"Hmm... Well from what I've seen in my years sounds like he might control earth but the helping others that sounds like the power to heal." he paused. "Did the Goddess tell him anything about two powers or anything like that?"

"Mm...didn't think to ask that, hold on." Zexion relayed the question to the man he was sitting on and raised an eyebrow.

"Uhh... maybe I don't recall much but I think she said something about... me being rare." he said and went back to inhaling the boy's neck.

"He said she said he's rare? Are healers hard to find?" The teen licked his lips.

"Absolutely!" He said loudly. "Healers are like the red diamonds of vampires. Extremely rare and extremely valuable."

Zexion pulled the phone away from his ear and raised an eyebrow. "Well...valuable, like how? Vampires...don't really need healing, they can do it on their own, can't they?"

"Of course but in a battle with a hunter... They can be a great asset. And since the Goddess gave him that power along with the power of earth she thinks that we're going to need those powers."

"So...this is because of Tifa, then? She's really that dangerous?" Zexion quieted down.

"She is and with Cloud and Leon on our tails we're in for quiet a battle. We need to train." he said. "Lexaeus too."

"Wait, who? I thought we were just dealing with her and that other hunter, you're telling me there's more?" A confused noise came from the other end of line.

"Yes there are two hunters chasing Roxas... There may be more..." he said quietly. "We need to lay low and keep a quiet profile, got that?"

"Vampires need to make a freaking contract with a list of warnings before they let people asked to be changed..." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

Axel laughed and sounds of someone shifting in a bed sounded over the line. "Well you just relax and have fun for now."

"I...think we're just going to relax for now..." The boy glanced to Lexaeus. "I'll tell him that we need to work something into his schedule for training."

"Alright have a good night...Oh Roxi ready for round-" the phone cut the older vampire off.

Lexaeus looked at his lover with a confused look.

"Nothing, just Roxas." Zexion smiled and closed his phone, twisting to kiss Lexaeus. "So you're just content with my scent?"

He smirked and flipped them so that Zexion was on his back on the couch and he was straddling his hips. "Not really, but... how are you feeling? Still sore?"

"I would like to relax with you...if you take another bite out of me I think I might just collapse." He exaggerated.

Lexaeus licked his lips then sat up and put a pillow in his lap. "Well... ahem... Wh-what would you like to do then?"

Zexion raised an eyebrow at his lover's actions and pursed his lips in thought. "Mmmaybe something..." He moved closer and placed a hand on the other man's chest. "Something a little different?" The teen let his hand slip beneath the pillow and had a devious look in his eyes.

Lexaeus jumped slightly and almost dropped the pillow. "Zexi..."

The teen tilted his head to the side and lost the burning look almost instantly. "No?" He asked quietly and began to withdraw his hand.

Lexaeus grabbed the boy's wrist stilling it. "I didn't say stop..." he said with a heated look in his eyes.

The boy returned his hand and stroked the member, looking up at Lexaeus. "You know...ever since I met you...you made me feel like I was starving myself."

Lexaeus groaned and tilted his head back. "I... apologize for that..."

"So torturous, it was to be even near you." Zexion leaned closer, excited at such the open invitation the other vampire was giving.

The new vampire yanked Zexion closer. "Bite me..." he said. though it sounded like a command.

The teen nodded slightly and gently bit him, letting out a quiet groan and picked the button open.

Lexaeus groaned again and his fangs elongated. "Zexi... oh God... Your wrist. Give me your wrist..."

_'Haven't you had enough?'_ He whined before pulling his hand from the pants and offering him his wrist that bore his mark.

"Just a little I swear then no more for the rest of the night." he said and bit into the pale wrist.

The teen winced and bit harder into Lexaeus' neck. _'You're so lucky to be able to chew on me whenever...'_

_'I love the way you taste...'_ he moaned and took a big mouthful before pulling away.

After another long drink the sire pulled away. "I love you..." He licked his lips and kissed from where he bit him slowly down his chest.

"Your lips are so intoxicating..." he breathed and closed his eyes, weaving his fingers into the dark hair.

"Mm?" He grinned and hooked his fingers around the lip of his open pants and began to pull them down, along with the boxers.

He chuckled and opened his eyes to look down at him. "You spoil me..."

"Close your eyes and relax..." Zexion breathed over the toned abs of his vampire, rubbing his nose gently across the dip of his belly-button.

"Zexi... What are you...?" he looked down at the boy and caressed his cheek.

"Close them." Zexion pushed a hand up his chest to force him back onto the couch. He bit his lip, having never done this before but having plenty of his own experience to guide him. He then finally submitted to giving a kiss to the head, before slowly taking it in.

Lexaeus closed his eyes with a moan. "Fuck Zexi..." he groaned and tried to keep his hips in check.

Zexion pulled back slightly, letting his tongue drag along and he sucked at the tip. The hand that pushed his lover down began slowly twisting its way down.

"God... Zexion..." he breathed and tugged gently on the vampires hair. "So good..."

Zexion began to massage him and his other hand flicked at a nipple playfully.

Lexaeus opened his eyes slightly to look down at the boy. "Zexion... how'd you get so good?"

_'I learned from example...'_ He began to bob his head and rubbed the nipple in a circular motion with his thumb.

"Shit Zexi...!" he gasped out as his hips bucked into his mouth.

Zexion gagged and pushed the older man's hips down as quickly as possible, not quite ready for that bit of action.

"Sorry..." he muttered out and grabbed a nearby pillow.

The teen resumed after assuring him that it was ok and lifted his eyes to watch his lover.

"God Zexion more...!" he groaned and tilted his head to the side.

Tentatively Zexion took as much as he could without the horrid reflex kicking in and closed his eyes.

"Shit!" he moaned loudly and dug his nails into the pillow.

The younger man blushed at the reaction he was getting and he had to pull away, sucking again before going back to bobbing his head.

"God Zexion... So close..." he groaned and played with the boy's hair.

Then he finally grazed his teeth against the flesh, the one thing he was horrified of ever doing, if he had ever gotten this close to him before.

"Fuck...!" Lexaeus arched his back as he released into the smaller male's mouth.

Zexion pulled away and wiped his mouth after swallowing most of the cum. He licked his lips and sighed, happy with his little endeavor.

Lexaeus pulled the boy up and kissed him gently on the lips. "You are so perfect."

"I've wanted to do that for a long time..." He whispered and hugged onto the brunet.

"Why didn't you?" he asked softly and held the boy close.

"Are you kidding me?" Zexion pointed to his mouth. "You'd really want to put _that_ in _this_ before you were a vampire?"

"Well I suppose that would have been a little dangerous." he said with a smile. "Well now you can do it whenever you want to."

"A little?" He laughed. "Now can we relax? I haven't slept at all. I'm actually very tired."

"Of course you silly boy." he said and set Zexion down to pull up his pants then picked him up. He closed the boy in his arms close to his chest. "Go to sleep."

"Don't have to tell me twice..." The teen whispered and closed his eyes, snuggling closer to the man. Sleep didn't take long to overtake him and minutes later he was attached to his vampire, with no intention of letting go anytime soon.

Leon looked down at the piece of paper that had an address on it, then back up to the house. "Well this is the house. Ready Cloud?" he asked looking over to his new lover.

With a deep sigh, the blond nodded his head. He was ready to face the vampire inside that house and kill it. "How should we go in?"

"Back door?" he asked getting out of the car and walking around to open Cloud's door.

Cloud got out of the car and shoved his hands in his pockets, feeling this odd sense of what drove him on to suddenly put lead in his boots. "Ok, what about the human?"

"Get his side of the story and try to save him." he said and stepped closer to the blond. "Be careful." he said, like he did before every mission, but this time it had more meaning.

The younger hunter nodded again. "I want you to be careful." He swallowed the fear that hit him and walked towards the house.

Leon grabbed Cloud's wrist and pulled him back to kiss him hard on the lips. "I love you..."

The unscarred man kissed him back "I love you too... let's get this done." He looked determined now.

Leon smiled and led his partner around to the back of the house to a back door.

"We don't want to alarm the human...chances are he's not even aware of the trap he's in." Cloud whispered and knelt to silently work with the lock.

Leon stood behind the blond to block him from view. "Of course. We'll be careful."

With a click, Cloud was in and he pushed the door open and looked around, wondering if getting in the house really was going to be as easy as it was to pick the lock.

Leon pulled out his gun and followed Cloud into the house. "Braig said the human was upstairs."

The blond nodded and reached for his own gun, and slowly advanced to the stairwell.

Leon held Cloud back and started up the stairs first. "I want you behind me."

Cloud huffed in annoyance and started up the stairs backward, making sure that nothing would be following them.

Leon walked down the hallway to a door that was cracked and pushed it open slowly with his gun. "Cloud..."

"Hm?" He twisted to look back at his partner and noticed he was already going into a room. Cloud joined him quickly.

Leon walked up carefully to the blond man laying in the bed and eyed the sleeping kitten next to him.

Even heard the two come in and tried to not panic, though that seemed to be the only thing on his mind. Who are they, how'd they get inside, what do they want, please oh please, let it not be robbers. Cloud raised an eyebrow, still lingering by the door.

"Should we wake him?" Leon whispered softly and looked over to his partner.

After watching the other blond he shook his head. "No need to, he's already awake."

Even winced and bit his lip. 'What do they want?'

"Already...?" he paused and looked at the man in the bed. "How do you notice these things?"

"He's not breathing like a sleeping person breathes. Long, slow breaths?" Cloud holstered his gun but kept his hand near in case he needed to take it out at a moment's notice.

Even turned slowly and took a look at his intruders. "Who are you people?" He asked quietly. "If you've come to steal anything, I have nothing."

"We're not here to steal anything. We needed to speak with you." Leon said putting his gun into his holster.

"You couldn't knock on the front door? How did you get in?" Even looked terrified.

Leon smirked. "Cloud is an excellent lock picker. Now are you aware of who is keeping you here?"

"Keeping me here?" Even frowned. "No one, this is my house...I should really call the cops on you."

Cloud made a plain show of his gun and shook his head. "No that'd be a bad idea."

"My partner has a bit of a temper so I would keep the threats to myself if I were you." he said and crossed his arms.

"Why are you here?" Even asked slowly and pulled himself up. "What do you want?"

"The man you're living with... he's a vampire are you aware of this fact?"

He didn't answer, though that seemed to be enough of an answer to Cloud, who instantly glowered at the bedridden male.

"Do you realize the danger you're in?" Leon asked. "He could kill you at anytime."

"No..." Even shook his head. "That would never happen. Why would he kill something that's already dying?"

"Already dying? Are you ill?" Leon asked and sat down at the foot of the bed.

"Yes." Even nodded simply. "What do you two want with Marluxia?" Though that answer was pretty obvious too.

Cloud scoffed and shook his head. "We want to kill him."

Leon looked over at Cloud then back at the human. "We wish to rid the world of their kind."

"Well, I'm afraid I can't help you with that." The green-eyed man inched his hand to his pillow.

"I can't believe this..." Cloud muttered.

"So... you want to become one of them?" he sneered and stood up. "Disgusting... Pathetic..."

"I'm not going to help you kill the only thing that really matters in my life." Even sucked on his lower lip.

"We should kill him now, before he gets the chance." Cloud took his gun out of the holster.

"Now Cloud think about this for a minute. Marluxia must have brainwashed him. He's dying the thought of a way out of death must have been too tempting." he said looking over his shoulder at the sick human.

"I'm not brainwashed. I just...don't want to be like this for him." Even responded.

"You love a monster! He makes people like him all the time!"

Leon walked over to the window, getting out of the way of his lover's rage.

Even shook his head and closed his eyes. "He does it for me, to help me."

"He's making vampires to help you?" Cloud grabbed him by the shoulders. "You realize what you're saying! You know that each and every one he makes kills hundreds of innocents!"

Leon grabbed Cloud and pulled him away from the human. "Don't hurt him Cloud. Remember he's still human."

"Yeah? For how long?" Cloud pulled away from Leon and went for his gun. "How long until another demon comes and kills everyone?!"

Leon pushed Cloud's hand down. "Calm down, love." he whispered.

"Calm down?" The younger hunter growled. "I can't! Not when I know what will happen to him!" He pointed at the silent one in the room.

"Relax. We can kill Marluxia and then he'll be saved. We just have to set a trap." he said looking at the ill human.

That seemed to calm the human considerably. "Kill him? No you can't kill him!" Even paused. "You'll have to kill me first!"

"We don't kill humans we save them. Now if this Marluxia cares for you as much as you claim he does, you must have a way to contact him. To bring him here." Leon said walking over to Even.

The man shook his head. "No, he comes and goes as he pleases, I can't do that."

"Oh? Well my dear friend here doesn't have much patience and I can't always control his trigger happy fingers. So if you wish to keep all of your appendages..." he trailed off and clasped his hands behind his back.

Even bit his lip and closed his eyes, having no idea what to do. He inched his hand towards the cell phone beneath his pillow and hoped that he was doing the right thing.

Leon eyed his hand and smirked. "Just call him here and you won't be harmed."

He quickly dialed the number and let go of the phone as if it burned his hands to touch it. "You can't kill him."

"Or can we. If what you say is true... then we have his one weakness." Leon chuckled and walked over to Cloud.

"If I can't kill him, then I can hurt him, right?" Cloud asked crossing his arms and eyeing the other blond.

"He won't lay a finger on us if we have you in our clutches." he said and placed a hand on Cloud's shoulder. We'll burn them down with the house if we have to."

"Good, he deserves everything I was made to suffer through." Cloud smirked and grinned at the green-eyed man.

"So angry at an innocent." he shook his head. "I won't leave Marluxia alive Cloud, I promise you, you'll get your revenge." he said kissing the blond's neck.

The other hunter placed a hand on Leon's chin and redirected his face to a kiss.

Even put his head in his hands and hoped that Marluxia would be able to save him.

Leon kissed him softly then pulled away. "Later love." he whispered and stepped back.

"Course..." Cloud looked back at Even and smirked. "Well, he's coming, right?"

"I called his pager, what else do you want me to do?" The ash blond ran a hand through his hair.

"How did you manage to fall into Marluxia's claws?" Leon asked.

"What is that supposed to mean? I didn't fall into any claws!" Even crossed his arms.

"Why would you willingly live with, much less love a vampire?" he asked with distaste in his voice.

The sickly man felt anger build in his chest. "Why do you love him?" He pointed at the other blond and Cloud glared back at him.

Leon stepped in front of Cloud. "Our relationship is different and is none of your concern. Marluxia is a dangerous monster."

"He's no monster, he's taken care of me for so many years-he's been nothing but loving and caring!" Even huffed.

Cloud pushed past his lover. "Shut up! I can't listen to this crap anymore!" He aimed his gun at Even, ready to fire.

"Cloud!" he grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Calm down! You can't kill a human no matter how idiotic he's being."

Cloud pulled the trigger, missing Even and growled in frustration. "I don't care anymore! Humans kill humans all the time!" He elbowed Leon to free his arm. Even took the time of confusion, with the help of adrenaline, to jump out of the bed and pushed past them through the door, in hopes of escaping.

"Cloud!" he shouted and wrapped his arms around him. "Calm down or you'll call attention to us." he said.

"Dammit, Leon, he's running!" He struggled and half-dragged the brunet out into the hallway to give chase. Even turned to go down the stairs and was near to the end when the adrenaline wore off and he remembered how weak he was. He felt a sharp twist when he missed a step and stumbled down the last few steps.

Strong arms caught the weak human as he fell and lifted him up. "Even what's wrong?" he looked up and glared at the two men. "Who are you? What are you doing here?!" he shouted.

"Marluxia!" He clung to him tightly. "Hunters...I'm sorry!" He bit his lip.

"Even…" he looked down at his lover then back up to the other men. "How did you find me?"

"Oh, a little investigating was all it took. When you stopped moving around so much you were easy to track. A lot of hunters have their eye on you." Cloud smirked and cocked his gun.

"Shit..." Marluxia took off down the hall and out the back door into the overgrown garden. He hid Even behind some high bushes. "Don't move love."

Cloud growled and chased after the pink-haired vampire. "I'm not letting you go that easily, you bastard!"

Marluxia gave Even a kiss and stood up. "I love you." he said and took off the face the hunters.

Leon followed after his partner and pulled out his gun.

Even whimpered at being left alone and bit his lip. "Please be safe!"

Cloud took aim at Marluxia and pulled the trigger. "I want to make him suffer." He growled to Leon.

Marluxia dodged the bullet and rushed the hunter wrapping him in vines and forcing his hand with the gun up to his own head.

Leon stopped short and stared at his lover. "Cloud..."

"No!" The blond tried to pull away from the vines and pulled his other gun out. "Leon, get the human!"

Marluxia tightened the vines and stood behind Cloud. "I wouldn't move if I were you Leon." he said and ran a hand down Cloud's cheek. "You don't want anything to happen to your precious Cloud."

The brunette looked from Cloud to the vampire and back to Cloud.

"Don't touch me!" Cloud snapped and struggled even more.

"I wonder what he tastes like." he said lowering his lips to Cloud's neck.

"Don't hurt him!" Leon yelled and dropped his gun. "Just... don't hurt him. Do what you want to me. Just don't... don't touch him..."

"Get the fuck off me!" Cloud tilted his head aggressively against Marluxia's.

Marluxia pulled back and smirked at the older hunter. "So you would take his place?" he asked as vines crawled their way up Leon's body and wrapped around his throat.

"Dammit, Leon, shut up! Don't...say that too him!" Cloud yanked at the vines.

Marluxia walked over to Leon and ran a sharp nail down Leon's cheek leaving a thin trail of blood in its path. "Such a nice shade of red. Don't you think Cloud?"

"No!" Cloud twisted his other hand so that he was aimed at the overgrown garden and took a blind shot hoping to damage the vampire's pet. He knew it was risky but he needed the distraction.

Marluxia's head snapped towards Cloud as the vines tightened around Leon's throat. The brunette let out a grunt and a gasp.

Even winced and covered his arm, the shot grazing his arm and blood started to seep out of the small wound.

Marluxia tensed and regained his calm. "Drop your guns. Or do you want Leon here to die?"

"Let him go and I'll drop them, you must be wondering if I hit him, aren't you?" Cloud narrowed his eyes.

"You didn't." He bluffed and stepped closer to the human. "Your boyfriend here would be a good snack."

"My blood's sweeter! Wouldn't you rather bite me? Or should I shoot the bushes again?" Cloud challenged.

Marluxia took quick steps over to Cloud and grabbed his throat, digging his nails in. "Drop the guns." he said coldly.

Cloud looked to Leon and grit his teeth. Then he heard a rustle in the bushes he had shot at, followed by a soft thud. He smirked. "Looks like I didn't." The hunter taunted and loosened his grip on the guns.

Marluxia growled and ran off tearing at Cloud's throat. As he disappeared the vines released the humans.

Leon coughed then ran over to his lover. "Cloud!"

"I'm fine!" He shouted and winced slightly, covering the shallow gashes on his neck. "We have to get out of here before he comes back." He whispered.

Leon put his arm around the blond's waist and lifted him up. "We're no match for him..." he whispered then pulled out a lighter.

"We need to catch him at a place where there's-" He coughed and pulled his hand away from his neck, marred by his blood.

"Shit Cloud..." he pulled off his shirt and put it to Cloud's neck. "Relax." he said and lit the lighter and dropped it on the ground to let the garden burn. "Let's go."

Even looked up weakly and bit his lip. He felt ready to simply pass out. "Marly..."

"Hold on Even." he said lifted the weak man into his arms. "I got you it's ok now." he whispered.

"We can't stay here..." The blond looked at his arm and covered it with his hand, though it took incredible effort to do so.

"Relax. They're leaving." Marluxia said and leaned over the human and pressed his lips to the wound. He whispered a few words to heal the bullet wound.

"Marluxia...they'll come back, we need a place to hide..." He whispered and let himself go limp.

"I'll find us somewhere to go." Marluxia looked behind him and gasped when he saw flames beginning to spread. "No..."

"Nothing we can..." Even let his eyes close and leaned his head against his lover's chest. "I'm so tired..."

"No... You can't go to sleep Even... Wake up!" he shook the human and held him close. "Even please..."

The human finally let go of consciousness, regardless of the Ancient's request.

"No no no... Even don't..." he held back his tears and lifted the human into his arms. "Dammit." he stood up and hurried through the flames to the only place he could think of to go.


End file.
